Kuwait and 18 countries condemn Colombia's opening of its embassy in Jerusalem

The foreign ministers of Kuwait, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Türkiye, the Republic of Djibouti, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Palestine, the State of Qatar, the Lebanese Republic, the Libyan State, Malaysia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Yemen, strongly condemned Colombia’s opening of its embassy in Jerusalem. They expressed their firm rejection of Colombia’s decision to open its embassy in Jerusalem, a step that contradicts relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and undermines international efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace based on the two-State solution.

The ministers reaffirmed that any measure or decision aimed at altering the legal or historical status of occupied Jerusalem, or recognizing it as Israel’s capital, is null and void and has no legal effect. This position aligns with relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, particularly Security Council Resolutions 476 (1980) and 478 (1980), which reject attempts to change the character or status of Jerusalem and call on States to withdraw their diplomatic missions from the city, which is part of the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.

The ministers also called on the Colombian government to reconsider and reverse this decision, fulfill its obligations under international law, and refrain from taking measures that infringe upon the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to establish an independent and sovereign State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.