Arab League opposes US embassy move to Jerusalem

Arab foreign ministers endorsed a resolution rejecting what they called “unilateral steps” that “jeopardize the historic and legal status” of Jerusalem.

Arab foreign ministers unanimously endorsed more than a dozen policy resolutions, including one rejecting what they called “unilateral steps” that “jeopardize the historic and legal status” of Jerusalem.

The ministers voted on the resolution on Wednesday during the Arab League Summit in Jordan.

This was an apparent reference to President Donald Trump’s previously stated intentions to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the resolution is one of “about 17” to be adopted later this week at the conference.

He said the ministers also reaffirmed the need to establish a state of Palestine alongside Israel adding that despite the many challenges facing the Arab world – the Palestinian issue, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Arab peace initiative – the alleged Israeli “settlement and violations of Jerusalem” are top priorities.

Trump’s campaign promise to move the embassy to Israel’s capital has raised the ire of parts of the Arab world, while the Palestinians have threatened to react violently.

In recent weeks there were signs an embassy move is not imminent.

Most recently, Vice President Mike Pence stated on Sunday during his address at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) annual policy conference in Washington, DC, that Trump is giving “serious consideration” to the move.

“After decades of talking about it, the President is giving serious consideration to moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” he said.

By: AP and World Israel News Staff

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