The Czech Republic is limiting the possibility of moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem soon.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said Thursday that his country will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem "at the appropriate moment," reducing the likelihood of the move happening sooner than previously thought, after the government had indicated it would do so following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

The Czech Republic is a strong ally of Israel on the international stage, and has at times broken ranks with its European Union allies in UN voting procedures related to Middle East affairs.

After the October 2023 attack, Fiala said that moving the embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv could happen within months, but today he indicated that this step may be somewhat far-fetched, according to Reuters.

"Let's make it clear... The Czech Republic will move the embassy because it's the right thing to do, and it's not about the action itself, but about the timing," Fiala explained at a hearing in the Senate of the Czech Parliament.

He said that this step should not come at a time when Israel is at war with Hamas in Gaza, and ideally when the Abraham Accords have expanded to include more partners.

He added, "We have to be a little patient, but at the same time we must be ready to take this step if the right moment comes."

The Czech Republic opened a diplomatic office in Jerusalem in 2021, a move that sparked protests from the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League.

If the Czech Republic does so, it will be the second NATO country to move its embassy to Jerusalem, after the United States, which took the step in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term, and the first European Union country to move its embassy.

The Israeli government considers Jerusalem the eternal and undivided capital of the country, despite the lack of international recognition. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Israel occupied Jerusalem in the 1967 war and later annexed it in a move not recognized internationally.