Namibia condemns U.S. decision on Jerusalem

WINDHOEK, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Namibia has condemned the decision by the Trump administration to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital city.

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital city and the relocation of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Namibian International relations minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Thursday described the move as a big step backwards on the two-state solution which is the only viable option in the pursuit of peace between Palestine, Israel and the entire region.

Nandi-Ndaitwah also said Namibia "unequivocally reaffirms its unflinching support for the U.N General Assembly and Security Council Resolutions, 181 (1947) and 242 (1967) that recognized Jerusalem as the capital city of both Palestine and Israel based on the 1967 lines."

"The recognition by the Trump Administration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is a flagrant violation of the 1993 Oslo Agreement between the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the State of Israel," the minister said.

Furthermore, the minister said that the U.S. administration's move undermines the prospects of a viable two-state solution and can ignite the conflict that had ravaged the Palestinian and Israeli peoples since 1948 when the State of Israel was created.

She reiterated Namibia's position that Jerusalem remains the internationally recognized capital of the two states, and that freedom of access to the holy sites should be protected and assured.

"Jerusalem is the most sensitive place in Palestine. The holy sites that are sacred to billions of people of different faiths around the world must remain accessible to all," she said. Enditem