Saudi Arabia Denounces Trump's Jerusalem Move As 'Irresponsible And Unwarranted'
08 December 2017Arab News
Saudi Arabia on Thursday expressed "great disappointment" over US President
Donald Trump's announcement recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and
relocating the US embassy to Jerusalem.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the royal court said
the Kingdom had previously warned of the serious consequences of such an
"irresponsible and unwarranted step."
On Tuesday, Saudi King Salman warned Trump that moving the US embassy for
Israel to Jerusalem was a "dangerous step" that could rile Muslims worldwide.
"The Kingdom expresses its denunciation and deep regret that the (Trump)
administration has taken this step, as it represents a great bias against the
historic and permanent rights of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, which
have been affirmed by the relevant international resolutions and have been
recognized and supported by the international community," the statement said.
It said that although Trump's move does not diminish the "inalienable and
preserved rights of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem and other occupied
territories," it does "exemplify a drastic regression in the efforts to move
the peace process forward."
"(It) is a shift away from the United States' historically impartial position
with regard to the issue of Jerusalem, which will further complicate the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict," the royal court said.
It said Saudi Arabia is calling on the US administration to reverse its action
and support the international will to enable the Palestinian people to regain
their legitimate rights.
"The Kingdom reaffirms the importance of finding a just and lasting solution
to the Palestinian cause in accordance with the relevant international
resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative, so that the Palestinian people can
regain their legitimate rights, which will strengthen security and stability
in the region," the statement said."
Trump's action was widely denounced, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan saying it was not only "irresponsible and illegal" also plays into the
hands of terrorists.
Jordan decried the announcement as a violation of international law and the UN
charter.
OIC Regrets and Denounces US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed deep regret over the
US President Donald Trump's announcement of the United States' recognition of
Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his orders to move his country's
embassy to the city, which constitutes a provocation of Muslims' sentiments.
The OIC rejected the decision as a violation of the political, legal and
historical status of the city of Jerusalem, a clear defiance of international
laws and resolutions, a departure from the international consensus on the
status of Al-Quds Al-Sharif, and the requirements of peace in general, thus
undermining the US's role as a sponsor of the peace process.
The OIC emphasized the need for urgent action by convening an extraordinary
summit of the leaders of the OIC Member States in Istanbul on 12 and 13
December 2017 to discuss the repercussions of the US decision and formulate a
unified Islamic position on this serious escalation.
The OIC also insisted that the decision does not only threaten the Arab and
Islamic identity of Al-Quds, but also the Christian identity of the city,
stressing Muslims' eternal attachment to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the centrality of
the cause of Al-Quds to the Islamic Ummah. It stressed commitment to working
with the international community and to supporting the Arab and international
efforts to achieve peace based on the two-state solution, the establishment of
the State of Palestine with Al-Quds as its capital and the end of the Israeli
occupation.
The OIC reaffirmed its firm stance towards Al-Quds, considered as an integral
part of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967. It also stressed that this
illegal decision will not give legitimacy to the Israeli occupation and will
not change the reality of the city nor its history and identity.
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