HC Deb 27 November 1967 vol 755 cc13-4W
Mr. Henig

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) why the British Embassy in Israel is not at the capital, Jerusalem;

(2) what is the extra cost to Great Britain of maintaining her embassy in Israel outside the capital, which is the site of the major administrative offices;

(3) whether he will now move the British embassy in Israel from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem;

(4) if he will now accord recognition to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; and if he will make a statement on the position.

Mr. Goronwy Roberts

While Her Majesty's Government have, since 1949, recognised thede facto authority of Israel and Jordan in the parts of Jerusalem which they occupied, they, in common with many other Governments, have not recognised de jure Israel or Jordanian sovereignty over any part of the area defined in General Assembly Resolution 303 (iv) of 9th December, 1949, which called for an international status for a designated area of Jerusalem. In the light of this United Nations resolution Her Majesty's Government have held that the status of this area could be determined only in the context of a settlement in the Middle East. It would in present circumstances be inconsistent with this position to take any action, such as the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, or the establishment of Her Majesty's Embassy there, which would imply recognition of Israel's sovereignty in West Jerusalem.

Since Her Majesty's Government have never recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the question of any extra cost due to the fact that our Embassy is established in Tel Aviv does not arise.