TEHRAN, May 22 - Saeb Erekat, Palestinian diplomat and the member of the Palestinian Parliament, has called on Arab nations to sever ties with countries that move their embassies in Israel to Jerusalem.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Erekat, a senior Palestinian Authority official, on Monday slammed President of Paraguay Horacio Cartes for his decision to move his country's embassy to Jerusalem.
Paraguay is the third country, after the US and Guatemala, to move its embassy to the contested city. Palestinians have long held that East Jerusalem must be the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
"We are already in contact with several allies to advance with the necessary diplomatic steps against the recent illegal moving of the embassies of Paraguay, Guatemala and the United States, to Jerusalem," Erekat said in a statement, according to the Times of Israel.
"We particularly call upon Arab countries that host diplomatic missions of these countries to implement the previous resolutions of the Arab League of 1980, 1990 and 2000 to ‘sever all ties with states that transfer their embassies to Jerusalem or recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,'" he added.
UNSC Resolution 478, adopted in 1980, condemned Israel's 1980 Jerusalem Law, which declared Jerusalem to be Israel's "complete and united" capital, as a violation of international law. The resolution also called upon member states to withdraw their diplomatic missions from Jerusalem.
The resolution passed with 14 votes for and none against; the United States was the only nation to abstain from the vote. Since then, all nations have maintained embassies outside of Jerusalem, mostly in Tel Aviv.
Israeli forces killed at least 62 Palestinians during protests near the Gaza fence on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Nakba Day (the Day of Catastrophe), which coincided this year with the US embassy relocation from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem al-Quds.
More than 2,700 Palestinians were also wounded as the Israeli forces used snipers, airstrikes, tank fire and tear gas to target the demonstrators.
Last December, American President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel. Earlier this week, the US transferred its embassy to Jerusalem al-Quds despite condemnations worldwide.
Israel lays claim to the whole Jerusalem al-Quds, but the international community views the city’s eastern sector as occupied land and Palestinians consider it as the capital of their future state.
Source: Sputnik
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