Canada embassy to remain in Tel Aviv: Trudeau

OTTAWA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made it clear Thursday that Canada's embassy in Israel would remain in Tel Aviv, in a split with its neighbor and ally, the United States.

"We will not be moving Canada's embassy from Tel Aviv," Trudeau said during a visit to Guangzhou, China, broadcast nationally in Canada.

Trudeau was reacting to US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem, which is claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians, as Israel´s capital.

On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland reaffirmed Canada's long-held position that "the status of Jerusalem can be resolved only as part of a general settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute."

"We are strongly committed to the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, including the creation of a Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel," she said.