Kosovo and Israel established diplomatic relations on Monday, during a virtual ceremony, whereby Kosovo undertook to open its embassy in Jerusalem.

Since August 2020, Israel has forged diplomatic ties with several countries with the prevailing Muslim population, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrein, Sudan and Morocco, however, Kosovo, the youngest European state with a majority of residents being Muslims, is the first of them to recognize Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel.

The ceremony, held over Zoom in Jerusalem and Pristina, included Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and his counterpart from Kosovo, Meliza Haradinaj Stublla, who signed a joint declaration establishing ties.

The decision on mutual recognition between Kosovo and Israel was achieved last September at a summit of Kosovo-Serbia leaders at the White House in the presence of then-US president Donald Trump.

Israel is the 117th country to recognize the independence of Kosovo.

Under the agreement, Pristina is expected to designate Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon, a terrorist organisation.