Sputnik: Recently it’s been reported that Israeli government is forcing the Czech Republic to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. What do you think?
Jiří Baťa: Actually I am not too familiar with it. Generally, I can say that the idea and possibility of transferring the Czech embassy to Jerusalem heavily depend on how loyal our politicians and the relevant authorities are to their allies or, to be more precise, to those who “feed” them, because our politicians do not make their own decisions. Usually, these decisions are made under somebody’s pressure (if not to say upon somebody’s demand). And it doesn’t matter whether this is about the US, NATO or the EU.
Sputnik: The Israelis would be happy to use President Zeman and Czech public opinion to accelerate the embassy’s movement. Could Israeli actions be taken as interference in the internal affairs of the Czech Republic?
As to the question about the interference in the internal affairs of our country, the answer is not simple. It depends on how widely Israel’s efforts will be publicized. Maybe they will decide to choose some unofficial diplomatic measures. I think this cannot be qualified as interference in the internal affairs of our country. The question is to what extent Israel is going to press the Czech Republic on this issue.
READ MORE: Trump Recognizes Jerusalem as Israeli Capital, Orders to Prepare Embassy Move
Sputnik: Will such a step meet the interests of the Czech Republic?
Jiří Baťa: It is difficult to say whether this will meet the interests of the Czech Republic, since de facto all our decisions are taken under some external influence mainly with an eye to the US, unfortunately. This reflects the weakness of our political sovereignty and the corruption of our politicians.
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