Daily: What was Serbian diplomat doing in Jerusalem?

Although the US planned to open its embassy in Jerusalem without much fanfare, Benjamin Netanyahu organized a reception on the occasion, daily Politika writes.

The Israeli prime minister's gala took place on Sunday evening. Of the 86 states with embassies in Tel Aviv that had been invited, only 32 accepted the invitation and had their ambassadors show up - Serbia among them.

An article authored by Bosko Jaksic further states that most EU ambassadors - with the exception of Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Romania - boycotted the event, in line with their policy of not accepting Jerusalem as Israel's capital until the city's status has been resolved through Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Jaksic writes, citing Israeli media, that Serbia was among the 32 countries whose representatives attended the reception - beside Albania and Macedonia, the only state from the region. For that reason, he continues, "Serbia's foreign minister should explain this move that puts Serbia at odds with most UN members, and also with Brussels."

The US embassy was officially opened in Jerusalem on Monday - a decision made by US President Donald Trump that has been met with strong reactions around the world and has caused more violence in the Gaza Strip. More than 50 Palestinians died, while more than 3,000 were injured on Monday in ongoing protests and clashes with Israeli soldiers.