Andrew Scheer
Andrew ScheerReuters

Canada's opposition Conservatives said Monday they would follow the US lead and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel if they beat Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals in the next election in 2019.

"Canada's Conservatives recognize the obvious fact that Israel, like every other sovereign nation, has a right to determine where its capital is located," the party said on its website.

As such, a Tory government led by Andrew Scheer "will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital when we form a government in 2019," it said.

The Conservatives held power from 2006 until 2015 when they were toppled by the Liberals in a general election.

After trailing the Liberals in public opinion polls over the past two and a half years, the Tories narrowed the gap to within five percentage points in the latest surveys.

In December, US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Last week, Trump announced that he would move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May - just in time for Israel's 70th birthday.