During a ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, attended by his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, Rabuka praised the "relationship" between the two countries, saying it is "built on our shared interests, mutual aspirations, and mutual respect and affection demonstrated over the years."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that he hosted his Fijian counterpart, Sitiveni Rabuka, at his office in West Jerusalem today. The statement added: "During the meeting, the Prime Minister thanked his Fijian counterpart for his unwavering support and standing with Israel, and discussed regional diplomatic and security issues with him."
Fiji's move comes as several Western countries, including Britain, France, Canada, and Australia, announced their intention to recognize the Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly meetings in September.
Of the 193 member states of the international organization, at least 149 recognize the Palestinian state declared by the late President Yasser Arafat in exile in 1988. Fiji is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, with an area of 193,000 square kilometers, of which land area represents approximately 10 percent.
The United States, Kosovo, Honduras, Papua New Guinea, and Guatemala all have embassies in occupied Jerusalem, while most other countries have refrained from doing so.
In 2017, US President Donald Trump recognized both East and West Jerusalem as the alleged capital of Israel, the occupying power, and decided to move his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
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The Palestinians cling to East Jerusalem as the capital of their desired state, based on international legitimacy resolutions that do not recognize Israel's occupation of the city in 1967 or its annexation in 1980.
Israel is intensifying its crimes to Judaize occupied Jerusalem and obliterate its Arab and Islamic identity, in parallel with a genocidal war waged against the Gaza Strip with US support since October 7, 2023.
In preparation for its annexation of the occupied West Bank, Israel is committing crimes, including home demolitions, the displacement of Palestinians, the confiscation of their lands, and the expansion and acceleration of settlement construction.
Israel's annexation of the occupied West Bank would end the possibility of implementing the two-state solution (Palestinian and Israeli), as stipulated in United Nations resolutions.
Israel has occupied Palestine and territories in Syria and Lebanon for decades, and refuses to withdraw from these areas and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, along the pre-1967 borders.
