Palestinians battle Trump’s Jerusalem embassy move in UN court

The Palestinian Authority is attempting to use a UN court to force the US to remove its embassy from Israel’s capital, Jerusalem.

By: AP and World Israel  News Staff

The Palestinian Authority (PA) filed a case Friday with the United Nations’ highest court asking its judges to order Washington to remove the U.S. embassy from Jerusalem.

The move announced by the Hague-based International Court of Justice comes against a backdrop of deeply strained ties between Washington and the Palestinians, in part because of the Palestinians’ reaction to the Trump Administration’s decision in December to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to move the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv in May.

The PA broke off contact with the U.S. after the Jerusalem announcement.

The court said that the Palestinians’ case asks its judges “to order the United States of America to withdraw the diplomatic mission from the Holy City of Jerusalem.”

Cases at the court can take years to complete. Its decisions are final and legally binding, but are not always adhered to. No date was immediately set for hearings.

Trump announced his decision on Jerusalem in December, triggering a joyous reaction from Israelis and their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The move infuriated the Palestinians, who reject Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem, which the Jewish state achieved after defeating Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq in 1967’s Six Day War.

Jordan occupied eastern portions of Jerusalem prior to the war, control over which Israel won in the conflict.

Trump is currently trying to facilitate the “deal of the century” between the Israelis and Palestinians and bring the two parties back to the negotiating table for the first time since 2014.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has maintained a boycott of the Trump administration since December 2017, rejecting the U.S.’ role as a mediator in peace talks.