For peaceful diplomatic relations, the Philippines has denied media reports of its embassy moving to Jerusalem.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said that a lot of things have to be considered before making decisions in diplomatic affairs.
“We are for peaceful resolution of conflict… In diplomacy, unless there is an urgent situation, you don’t just take a blind giant leap. You study all of these,” Cayetano told GMA in an interview on Tuesday.
“There’s going to be a balancing act. Plus there’s so much history and context there,” he added.
Cayetano clarified the issue in which an Israeli public radio broadcasted a report from a newswire that 10 countries are planning to move their respective embassies to Jerusalem – which included the Philippines.
The Israeli and Palestinian conflict centers on who controls the historical city of Jerusalem. Transferring of an embassy to Jerusalem will signify a government’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The Foreign Affairs Secretary mentioned that the Philippines supports a two-state solution in which the states of Israel and Palestine are to work side by side within secured and recognized borders.
The issue of embassy transfer came into development after United States President Donald Trump made an announcement that his country is recognizing the disputed city as Israel’s capital and when Guatemala confirmed plans of moving its embassy to Jerusalem.
However, the two-thirds of the United Nations (UN) member states rejected Trump’s decision and insisted that the conflict can only be settled through negotiations. The Philippines’ stand on the issue was abstention, which Cayetano said was a highlight on sovereignty.
“We don’t want any country to tell us where we can or can’t put an embassy so we can’t condemn the US for making that decision,” he said in the same interview.
“Some people will see abstain or not voting not a principled vote. But sometime that is the principled vote,” he further said, stressing the majority of the 10 million Filipinos abroad that are based in the Middle East.
Currently, all countries have their embassies and diplomatic operations in Tel Aviv in Israel.