BRUXELLES KORNER | INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS • DIPLOMACY • MIDDLE EAST

19 Countries Condemn Colombia's Embassy Move to Jerusalem

Amr Yehia | Bruxelles Korner

Foreign Ministers of 19 countries issued a joint statement strongly condemning the Republic of Colombia's inauguration of its embassy in Jerusalem, calling the move a violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

The statement was signed by the Foreign Ministers of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the State of Palestine, the Republic of Türkiye, 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, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of the Sudan, and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

In the Joint Statement, the ministers expressed their unequivocal rejection of the step, stressing that it contravenes relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and undermines international efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace based on the two-State solution.

The ministers reaffirmed that any measure or decision intended to alter the legal or historical status of occupied Jerusalem, or to recognize it as Israel's capital, is null and void and has no legal effect.

They noted that this position is consistent with relevant UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, particularly Security Council Resolutions 476 (1980) and 478 (1980), which reject attempts to change Jerusalem's character or status and call on States to withdraw their diplomatic missions from the city, which is part of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967.

The joint statement concluded by calling upon the Colombian Government to reconsider and reverse this decision, uphold its obligations under international law, and refrain from measures that prejudice the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to an independent and sovereign Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital.