19 Arab and Islamic countries condemn Colombia's opening of its embassy in occupied Jerusalem

Cairo - Ofoq News - The Foreign Ministers of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the State of Palestine, the Republic of Turkey, the Republic of Djibouti, the Lebanese Republic, the State of Libya, the Republic of Yemen, the State of Qatar, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Federal Republic of Somalia, Malaysia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Kuwait, the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Sultanate of Oman, and the Republic of... The Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Sudan, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and the Republic of Colombia opening its embassy in occupied Jerusalem.

The foreign ministers of the 19 countries said in a joint statement that this is a step that contradicts the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and undermines international efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.

The Ministers affirmed that any measure or decision aimed at changing the legal or historical status of occupied Jerusalem, or recognizing it as the capital of Israel, is null and void and has no legal effect. This position is consistent with the relevant Security Council and United Nations General Assembly resolutions, especially Security Council Resolutions No. 476 (of 1980) and No. 478 (of 1980), which reject attempts to change the character or status of Jerusalem, and call on countries to withdraw their diplomatic missions from the city, which is Part of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967.

The ministers called on the Colombian government to reconsider and retract this decision, fulfill its obligations under international law, and refrain from taking measures that affect the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.