The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary General Saeb Erekat warned on Sunday that the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as a capital of Israel will promote international anarchy.
He said in a statement on news reports regarding possible US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel that “if the US Administration decides to contradict its international commitments and historic foreign policy by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel it is not only going to promote international anarchy and disrespect for global institutions and law but it will also be disqualifying itself to play any role in any initiative towards achieving a just and lasting peace.”
He stressed that such a decision will contribute to the further destabilization of the region and will discourage many of those who still believe that a peaceful solution is achievable to end many years of Israeli occupation and decades of systematic violations of Palestinian national and human rights.
“Jerusalem is the social political cultural religious and economic heart of Palestine. It is also the heart of billions of believers from the three monotheistic religions including hundreds of millions of Arab Christians and Muslims. It is therefore the heart of the Arab World. It is a significant symbol of our region and its fate is key to any efforts leading to a peaceful and stable region” he said.
Erekat urged the United Nations the European Union Russia and China along with the world’s states to express their standpoint vis-à-vis the U.S. decision urging the latter to backtrack on the move and abide by international law and wise politics.
He added that the Palestinian Authority has been in contact with several world leaders to assess the situation and encourage them to take action in order not to allow for those initiatives to materialize into a new political reality. The Palestinian leadership is also going to meet soon in order to approve necessary steps in case such an announcement is made.
Palestinian-US relations were recently shaken when the US State Department decided last month not to renew the permit that would allow the PLO delegation office in Washington to remain open.
Defying longstanding American policy U.S. President Donald Trump will give a speech on Wednesday recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital according to an Associated Press report on Friday.
Multiple reports surfaced this week that the president would for the second time waive a congressional mandate requiring the U.S. embassy be moved from Tel Aviv to Occupied Jerusalem. Trump would also take the dramatic step of formally recognizing the holy city—home to Muslims’ third holiest site—as Israel’s capital.
