President of Malawi resolves to open “diplomatic mission” in Jerusalem

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The recently elected president of Malawi announced Friday that the country had resolved to open a “new diplomatic mission in Jerusalem, Israel.” It is presumed this mission will be an embassy, the Jerusalem Post reports. If President Lazarus Chakwera goes ahead with his resolve, Malawi would be the first African nation to have an embassy or diplomatic office in Jerusalem.

Addressing the country’s parliament about reforms to the Foreign Ministry, Chakwera said: “The reforms will also include a review of our diplomatic presence, including our resolve to have new diplomatic missions in Lagos, Nigeria, and Jerusalem, Israel. I will be sharing more details about this in the near future.”

At President Trump’s behest, the US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018. Guatemala immediately followed America’s lead.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the Trump Administration has been “pushing” for other countries to open embassies in Jerusalem. President Trump said on Friday that Serbia and Kosovo would open embassies in Jerusalem and Honduras has announced plans to have an embassy in the city as well.

The other 87 countries with diplomatic missions in Israel have so far kept theirs in Tel Aviv. The international community has largely asserted that the status of Jerusalem as a capital city can only be determined in light of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.

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