CAIRO, Oct. 16– Nineteen Arab and Islamic countries have condemned Colombia’s inauguration of its embassy in Jerusalem, saying the move undermines international efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.
The countries include Egypt, Palestine, Türkiye, Djibouti, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen, Qatar, Jordan, Somalia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Algeria, Oman, Syria, Sudan and Pakistan, according to a joint statement on Thursday.
They said the move contravenes relevant UN Security Council resolutions and reaffirmed that any measures seeking to alter the legal or historical status of occupied Jerusalem or recognize it as Israel’s capital are null and void.
Citing UN Security Council resolutions 476 and 478, adopted in 1980, they said Jerusalem is part of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967.
They called on the Colombian government to reverse its decision, uphold its obligations under international law, and respect the Palestinian people’s right to an independent and sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, relocating it from Tel Aviv and becoming the 10th country to do so.
Jerusalem’s status remains one of the central issues in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Israel considers the entire city as its capital, while Palestinians seek to make East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel during the 1967 war, the capital of a future independent Palestinian state.
As the city’s status remains disputed, most countries maintain diplomatic relations with Israel but keep their embassies in Tel Aviv or elsewhere. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
