The Czech Parliament approved on Wednesday the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Jerusalem Day celebrating the 50th anniversary of the city's unification under Israeli sovereignty. In addition, the Czech Republic decided to condemn the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) following its recent anti-Israel resolutions.

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112 of the 156 MPs in Prague supported the resolution. Members of Parliament called on their government to adopt the resolution and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, alongside opening direct and unconditional negotiations with the Palestinians.

The Czech flag (Photo: AFP)

The parliament also condemned the recent UNESCO decisions that do not recognize the rights of Jews to Jerusalem, and call on the government to stop payments to UNESCO, in light of the incitement against Israel and the politicization of the organization.

Following the Czech Parliament's vote, a special event was held in Prague on the occasion of Jerusalem Day at St. Vitus Cathedral. The event, attended by Czech Culture Minister Daniel Herman, was attended by hundreds of Jews and Christians.

The decision was made following a move promoted by the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, the largest Christian-Zionist organization in the world, through its Czech Republic Branch Manager, Vladimir Kalos. In the past few months, he has led the attempts to persuade members of parliament to approve the law.