The plan to move the British Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem which has been discussed by former British Prime Minister Liz Truss was canceled by her successor, PM Rishi Sunak.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The Indonesian Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) commends British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has canceled the plan of his predecessor Liz Truss on moving the British Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Chairman of the MER-C Presidium, dr. Sarbini Abdul Murad, made the remark in responds to a statement by Sunak's spokesman who firmly stated that there is no plan to move the British Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, AFP reported on Thursday (Nov. 3).

"The MER-C commends PM Sunak's stance and courage in canceling former PM Truss's discourse despite Israel's opposition and cynical scorn," Sarbini said.

"We are supporting PM Sunak's decision because it is a productive effort to create peace in Palestine," he added.

Furthermore, Sarbini hoped that the UK under the government of PM Rishi Sunak could play a more optimal role in helping the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

“The presence of Israel is due to Britain's contribution through the Balfour Declaration. Therefore, we hope that Britain would play an optimal role in this issue," Sarbini continued.

For this reason, according to him, Britain has a moral and historical responsibility to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflicts. "Britain cannot escape the Palestinian issue," he asserted.

Balfour Declaration

The website history.com mentions that on November 2, 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour wrote an important letter to Britain's most famous Jewish citizen, Baron Lionel Walter Rothschild, expressing the British government's support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The letter eventually became known as the Balfour Declaration.

Britain's support for the Zionist movement came from its concern about the direction of the First World War. In addition to the genuine belief in the truth of Zionism, held by Lloyd George among other things, British leaders hoped that statements in favor of Zionism would help gain Jewish support for the allied forces.

The influence of the Balfour Declaration on the course of post-war events was immediately felt. According to the 'mandate' system created by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, Britain was entrusted with administering Palestine, which included both Jews and Arabs.

Reporting by Indonesia Window