Vilnius Its Jewish influence has led to it being described as the "Jerusalem of Lithuania" and Napoleon named it "the Jerusalem of the North" as he was passing through in 1812. In 2009, Vilnius was the European Capital of Culture, together with the Austrian city of Linz. The name of the city originates from the Vilnia River. The city has also been known by many derivate spellings in various languages throughout its history: "Vilna" was once common in English. The most notable non-Lithuanian names for the city include: , , , , , , ("Vilne"). A Russian name from the time
United States recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that all governments of EU member states were united on the issue of Jerusalem, and also reaffirmed their commitment to a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital. Representatives from 32 countries were present at opening of the embassy, including EU members Austria, Czech Republic and Romania. Palestinian officials have said the announcement disqualifies the United States from peace talks, while Hamas called for a new intifada following Trump's declarations. Following the announcement there were demonstrations throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as in Iran, Jordan, Tunisia, Somalia, Yemen,