The Government of Jordan argued on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is in violation with the UN charter and lacks legal basis.
“This recognition is legally invalid as it enshrines the Israeli occupation of the eastern part of the city, which was occupied by Israel in June 1967,” Mohammad al-Momani, Jordan’s Minister of State for Media Affairs, said.
The Jordanian embassy in Washington said in a press release that the status of Jerusalem should be determined by means of peace negotiations between Palestine and Israel.
“The Kingdom stressed that the United States should play its primary role as a neutral intermediary to resolve the conflict and achieve peace on the basis of the two-state solution, which the world has endorsed as the only way to resolve the conflict and achieve lasting peace,” the release said.
An emergency meeting has been scheduled for Saturday in Cairo, where the Ministerial Council of the Arab League is to address Trump’s move regarding Jerusalem. The reaction follows Trump’s Wednesday announcement he would officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the U.S. Embassy there, The Hill reports.
Although Trump attempted to convince Middle East partners that the decision wouldn’t derail his commitment to peace, his comments at the White House showed otherwise and explained why he ignored numerous warnings from U.S. allies.
“While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering,” Trump said.
Moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city of Jerusalem would most likely inflame tensions in the region and present a hurdle on the path to achieving peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Thousands of Palestinians protested in the streets of Gaza City, while U.S. allies objected to the move. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, called the announcement “reprehensible” and a “declaration of withdrawal” by the United States from the peace process.
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