Additional countries will move their embassies to Jerusalem following the war, Likud Knesset member Dan Illouz predicted on Wednesday, telling JNS that international support for Israel remains stronger privately than publicly expressed.

“We will see a second wave [of embassy moves] after the war stops,” Illouz, who made aliyah from Canada in 2009 aged 23, told JNS during a Jerusalem Day conference he hosted at the Knesset promoting international recognition of Israel’s capital.

“Right now, sometimes it’s underground,” he said, referring to international support for Israel that is not always publicly expressed. “The strength that we’ve shown will result, I believe, in embassies moving to Jerusalem.”

The event, held in cooperation with the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and the Israel Allies Foundation, brought together Israeli lawmakers, foreign parliamentarians, ambassadors and Christian leaders from Europe, Africa, Latin America, the Pacific and the United States.

Throughout the discussion, speakers emphasized Jerusalem’s biblical and historical significance, rejected renewed international debate on redividing the city, and advocated for additional embassy relocations to Israel’s capital.

The gathering took place ahead of Jerusalem Day commemorations marking the reunification of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War in 1967. Jerusalem Day begins on Thursday evening and extends through Friday.

Several speakers cast the diplomatic battle over Jerusalem as part of a broader struggle over Israel’s legitimacy and the Jewish people’s historical ties to the land.

“Jerusalem is the capital of Israel not because of Camp David [the 1978 accords with Egypt], but because of King David,” Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said in his opening remarks. “Jerusalem today is united, sovereign and never again to be divided.”

Ohana described Jerusalem as “humanity’s greatest beacon of hope,” noting that Jews throughout the Diaspora prayed toward the city for nearly 2,000 years before its reunification in 1967.

Josh Reinstein, president of the Israel Allies Foundation, said, “When Christians take their biblical support and turn it into real political action, we’ve seen incredible success on the diplomatic front.”

According to organizers, the network now includes caucus chairs in 64 countries and hundreds of lawmakers worldwide. Founded more than two decades ago by former MKs Yuri Shtern and Benny Elon, the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus became the foundation for an international network of pro-Israel parliamentary groups promoting what organizers call “faith-based diplomacy.”

Illouz described the initiative as “a new international partnership for Jerusalem,” arguing that support for Israeli sovereignty in the city increasingly transcends traditional diplomatic alliances.

“This is not a partnership based on political interests, but on values, on the belief in the truth,” he said. “Jerusalem is not a political bargaining chip. It is the beating heart of our nation.”

Embassy moves

Several foreign lawmakers used the conference to advocate openly for relocating their countries’ embassies to Jerusalem.

Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, chairman of the Ghana Israel Allies Caucus, said lawmakers and officials in Ghana were actively working toward relocating the country’s embassy to the capital.

“Ghana is ready,” he said. “We are pushing hard to move our embassy to Jerusalem.

“We want to be the first African country to move our embassy to Jerusalem,” he added.

South Sudanese lawmaker Julius Moilinga similarly reaffirmed support for relocating his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, describing the latter city as “God’s embassy on earth.” He said South Sudan was continuing efforts to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem.

Mozambican parliamentarian and pastor Carlos Tembe said he was working hard to strengthen ties between Maputo and Jerusalem following his appointment as second vice president of Mozambique’s parliament.

Organizers also pointed to ongoing diplomatic efforts involving Malawi, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Reinstein pointed to previous embassy relocations by Guatemala, Honduras and Paraguay following President Donald Trump’s historic decision in 2018 to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

“We know that many more embassies are coming,” Reinstein said, referencing ongoing discussions in Africa, Latin America and the Pacific as organizers prepare for the 60th anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification next year.

European lawmakers at the conference framed support for Jerusalem as part of a broader defense of Western civilization, democracy and religious freedom.

Portuguese lawmaker Pedro Frazão, vice president of the Chega party and chairman of the Portugal Israel Allies Caucus, sharply criticized rising antisemitism across Europe and condemned anti-Zionism masquerading as legitimate political discourse.

“Silence is no longer acceptable,” he said. “Israel today stands on the front line of the defense of Western civilization.”

Frazão called for Portugal to move its embassy to Jerusalem.

Dutch Member of European Parliament Bert-Jan Ruissen called support for Israel a “biblical duty” and reiterated his support for moving European diplomatic missions to Jerusalem.

Australian MP Andrew Wallace, chairman of the Australia Israel Allies Caucus, acknowledged that Canberra still does not recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, while outlining efforts to expand the caucus network throughout the Pacific region, including Fiji.

Japanese lawmaker and pastor Kiyohiko Kaneko described efforts in his country to oppose recognition of a Palestinian state and reduce support for UNRWA, while criticizing distorted international coverage of Israel’s war against Hamas following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel.

Personal sacrifice

The conference took on a more emotional tone as speakers connected Jerusalem Day to wartime sacrifice and Jewish continuity.

MK Moshe Tur-Paz recounted the personal stories of his aunt, Esther Cailingold, a 22-year-old Haganah fighter killed defending Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter during Israel’s 1948-49 War of Independence, and Ben Zussman, the son of two of his former students, who was killed fighting in Gaza following the Oct. 7 massacre.

Tur-Paz described both as “guardians of Jerusalem” separated by generations but united by a common sense of sacrifice for the Jewish state and its capital. Before their deaths, he said, both left behind a similar message to their families and loved ones: “Remember me in happiness.”

MK Yuli Edelstein, former chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, reiterated a recurring theme throughout the conference: that Jerusalem’s status as Israel’s capital is not open for negotiation.

“Jerusalem was, is and is going to stay forever the capital of the State of Israel,” Edelstein said.

The conference concluded with a prayer led by Rev. Peter Fast, CEO of Bridges for Peace, who described Jerusalem as central to both Jewish and Christian identity.

“We stand arm in arm with you,” Fast said, especially following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and the ongoing war. “We are in the trenches with you.”

Organizers said the conference marked the beginning of a yearlong diplomatic campaign leading up to the 60th anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification in 2027.

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