"France is ready to support any political initiative that would allow peace to be achieved in the Middle East… As for the capital of each state [Israel and Palestine], we are waiting for the peace process and the outcome of negotiations to position ourselves, and so for now France has no intention to place its embassy somewhere other than Tel Aviv," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Friday.
During an interview with the radio station RTL, Le Drian was asked to comment on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call on Wednesday to declare Jerusalem the capital of Palestine in response to the US decision to recognize the city as the capital of Israel.
READ MORE: Israeli Analyst: Trump's Jerusalem Move Will Contribute to Peace and Stability
On December 6, US President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and instructed the US Department of State to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv. The Palestinian people consider it to be the violation of their rights. Within days, this dissatisfaction led to violent clashes. For more than a week, people in Ramallah, Jerusalem and Bethlehem are continuing demonstrations, expressing their anger at the decision of the US President.
On December 10, French President Emmanuel Macron said France disapproved of the US decision on Jerusalem and remained committed to the concept that Israel and Palestine should be two independent states.
READ MORE: Netanyahu Calls on Palestinians to Agree Jerusalem is 'Israel's Capital'
The international community does not recognize the annexation of Jerusalem by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and insists that the status of the city should be resolved on the basis of an agreement with the Palestinians, which claim the eastern part of Jerusalem. For this reason, all foreign embassies are located in Tel Aviv.
