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Arab leaders urge not to relocate embassies in Israel to Jerusalem

Xinhua, March 29, 2017 Adjust font size:

Arab leaders on Wednesday urged all countries not to relocate their embassies in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and not to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The Arab leaders warned against unilateral measures by Israel that seek to change the situation in Jerusalem and impose new realities, according to the Amman Declaration announced at the conclusion of the 28th Arab Summit.

"We sent a message of peace to the world. We want peace and we had an honest discussion with the U.S. envoy who attended the summit," said Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi at a press conference following the announcement of the Amman Declaration.

This call sends a clear message to the U.S. administration, especially since U.S. President Donald Trump said lately that the country was seriously considering relocating its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

They called on the international community to take measures to enforce UN Resolution 2334 for the year 2016, which states that Israeli settlement have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law.

They said the Israeli settlement activities represent a stark violation of international law and a key obstacle to making peace.

The Arab leaders stressed on their continued work to re-launch serious and effective peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Stressing on the centrality of the Palestinian issue, Arab leaders stressed on the Arabic identity of occupied east Jerusalem, which they said is the capital of the Palestinian state.

The Arab heads of states renewed their commitment to the 2002 Arab peace initiative and voiced support for the Palestinians and their rights in statehood. They also called for the release of all prisoners and resolving the issue of refugees in line with the international resolutions in this regard.

The peace deal offers Israel normal ties with the Arabs in return for withdrawal from territories it occupied in 1967.

On Syria, they called for a political solution that ends the conflict in the country and preserves the unity and the territorial integrity of Syria. Endit