Fiji could delay opening its embassy in Israel, the Pacific Island nation’s deputy prime minister said on Wednesday, amid fears the war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas could destabilise the region.
The conflict, which erupted on 07 October after Hamas fighters stormed into Israel, has inflamed tensions across the Middle East. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned on 17 October of further action by Tehran’s allies against Israel if it did not cease its retaliatory attacks on Gaza.
“Until things stabilise, we probably won’t be … having an embassy there soon,” said Manoa Kamikamica in Abu Dhabi, where he was attending a United Nations investment conference.
“There is certainly a commitment by the government of Fiji,” he said, “but now we will have to just monitor and evaluate.”
Kamikamica, who also serves as trade minister, said Fiji had yet to decide where it would locate its embassy “because of the sensitivities” and that it was considering both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
SOURCE: THE JERUSALEM POST/PACNEWS
