Kuwait and Arab and Islamic Countries Condemn Colombia's Opening of Embassy in Occupied Jerusalem

Foreign ministers of Kuwait and several Arab and Islamic countries strongly condemned, in a joint statement on Friday, the opening of the Embassy of the Republic of Colombia in occupied Jerusalem, considering it a step that contradicts relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and undermines international efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that 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 Turkey, 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 State of Libya, Malaysia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Yemen expressed their “firm” rejection of the Republic of Colombia’s decision to open its embassy in occupied Jerusalem. The Foreign Ministry noted that the ministers reaffirmed that any action 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 carries no legal effect. It added that the ministers stressed in their joint statement that this position aligns with relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the UN 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 in 1967. The statement by the foreign ministers 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, sovereign State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.