Naoero has opened an embassy in Jerusalem, becoming the ninth country to establish its diplomatic mission in the city and drawing condemnation from Jordan and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Naoero’s Vice President and Foreign Minister Lionel Aingimea said the decision to open the embassy reflected the Pacific island nation’s longstanding relationship with Israel.
“We see opening an embassy here in Jerusalem not only as strengthening our ties with Israel, but also as a message to the world of where we stand.
“Our support for Israel has been unwavering. Naoero is historically one of Israel’s most reliable and consistent diplomatic allies at the United Nations,” Aingimea said at the inauguration ceremony on Monday.
Aingimea said the decision to establish the mission in Jerusalem followed discussions with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in Fiji and was fully endorsed by Naoero’s Cabinet.
“Our motto is God first, and Israel always has a special place in our hearts,” he said.
Sa’ar described Naoero as one of Israel’s strongest supporters and said relations between Israel and Pacific island countries were advancing.
“Today two ancient peoples stand together in Jerusalem, proud of our identity, our heritage and our friendship,” Sa’ar said.
He also linked Naoero’s decision to restore its indigenous name, Naoero, with Israel’s own historical ties to the region.
“We, too, are the indigenous people of this land,” Sa’ar said, adding that Jews are called Jews because they are from Judea.
Naoero, with a population of about 12,000, is one of the world’s smallest countries.
The United States, Fiji, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Somaliland have also established diplomatic missions or offices in Jerusalem.
Most countries with diplomatic relations with Israel continue to maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv, arguing that the final status of Jerusalem should be determined through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
The United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, a decision followed by several other countries.
Sa’ar said more countries were expected to follow Naoero, including Colombia, which has announced plans to relocate its embassy. The Democratic Republic of Congo has also said it intends to move its embassy to Jerusalem, while Argentine President Javier Milei has pledged to relocate Argentina’s embassy.
Naoero’s decision has been strongly criticised by Jordan.
Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Fouad Majali said the move was “unacceptable and a blatant violation of international law and international legitimacy resolutions”.
He said any measures aimed at changing the status or legal identity of Jerusalem were “null, void, and illegal”.
Majali said a lasting peace required the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state along the 04 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The OIC also condemned Naoero’s decision, saying it violated international law and United Nations resolutions concerning Jerusalem.
In a statement, the OIC General Secretariat said the move “contravenes the international position on the city’s legal and historical status”.
It said East Jerusalem was an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967 and described decisions to establish diplomatic missions there as “null and void and illegal under international law and relevant United Nations resolutions”.
The OIC referred specifically to UN Security Council Resolutions 476 and 478 of 1980 and urged Naoero and other countries that had relocated, or planned to relocate, their embassies to Jerusalem to reverse those decisions.
The organisation called instead for support for international efforts towards a two-state solution.
The status of Jerusalem remains one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel captured East Jerusalem and the West Bank during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later annexed East Jerusalem, a move not recognised by most of the international community.
Palestinians claim the West Bank and Gaza Strip for an independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
