UAE condemns US decision to recognise Jerusalem as capital of Israel

07-12-2017

ABU DHABI-- The United Arab Emirates has expressed its deep regret and condemnation of the US administration's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said that such unilateral decisions are contrary to the internationally-legitimate resolutions will not change the legal status of the city of Jerusalem as being under occupation. Such decisions are also considered to show a bias against the historical and permanent rights of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, which have been guaranteed by the relevant international resolutions and have received the recognition and support of the international community, the statement said.

The ministry expressed its deep concern about the repercussions of this decision on the stability of the region, noting that it inflamed the feelings of Arab and Islamic peoples who have great esteem for Jerusalem.

It also pointed to the negative impact of the decision on the future of the peace process between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, which was established on the basis that the city of Jerusalem is among the final status issues, with its fate to be determined through negotiations between the concerned parties.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation stressed the need to abide by all UN resolutions related to the city of Jerusalem, including Security Council resolutions and the principles of international law, which stipulate that diplomatic missions should not be established or transferred there, opposing any recognition of it as the capital of the occupying state and considering East Jerusalem as an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967.

The statement said that the UAE has warned that taking this step is a major violation of the principle of avoiding any impact or influence on the final status negotiations and that it contravenes international resolutions that affirmed the historic rights of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, which cannot be interfered with, and that there should not be any attempt to impose a fait accompli.

The step will represent a fundamental change and an unjustified bias in the neutral position of the United States at a time when everyone looks forward to seeing the United States of America working to achieve the desired ends in the peace process, the statement said.

Palestinian children look at vandalized graffiti depicting US President Donald Trump and slogans against US Vice President Mike Pence painted on Israel’s controversial separation barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem during clashes with Palestinian protestors near an Israeli checkpoint yesterday. —AFP