/HUNGARY: Orban To Move Hungary's Embassy To Jerusalem

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen have reached an agreement to move Hungary's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem next month, the Times of Israel reports.

• Senior Foreign Ministry sources told the website that they see the move as a special gesture by Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who intends to grant Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu a diplomatic achievement, which would help him deflect attention from the highly contentious overhaul of the judiciary.
• If the plan is finalised and implemented, Hungary would become the first European Union member state to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, defying the bloc's common position on the matter. The EU has opposed recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital in the absence of a peace pact with Palestine.
• Netanyahu has a close relationship with Orban, with both leaders facing accusations of perpetrating the erosion of rule-of-law standards in their respective countries. Over the past few years, Hungary has been one of Israel's most vocal advocates in the EU and on several occasions blocked joint communications criticising its policies.
• Spokespersons for Hungarian and Israeli Foreign Ministries refused to confirm the plan when contacted by Reuters, albeit Budapest reminded that the commercial department of its embassy has already been moved to Jerusalem years ago.