Papua New Guinea Set to Open Jerusalem Embassy Next Week

Papua New Guinea is set to open its embassy in Jerusalem next week during a visit by Prime Minister James Marape. The inauguration will take place on September 5, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Marape on the same day. This announcement follows similar moves by Sierra Leone and Paraguay to open embassies in Jerusalem. Currently, the US, Guatemala, Honduras, and Kosovo have embassies in Jerusalem. Israel sees these developments as strengthening its claim to the city as its capital. Papua New Guinea is one of the Pacific nations that regularly supports Israel at the United Nations, and the country's geopolitical importance is increasing as China and the US vie for influence in the region.