Palestinian FM: Relocating Embassies to Jerusalem Violates UN Charter

Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin has stated that the relocation of a number of foreign embassies to Jerusalem violates United Nations Security Council resolutions and normalises the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. “We consider such steps a violation of international law and UN resolutions concerning the holy city, its legal and political status, and the just and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people,” Shahin told RIA Novosti. Several countries have relocated or opened their embassies to Israel in Jerusalem in recent years, the most recent being Somaliland, a region in Africa with limited international recognition. The small Pacific island nation of Nauru is also expected to become the tenth country to open an embassy in Jerusalem, despite Palestinian claims to East Jerusalem as their capital. Shahin said the Palestinian Authority views such actions as “aggression” against the Palestinian people and their rights, dealing a severe blow to the prospects for achieving peace based on the two-state solution. She added that moving foreign embassies to Jerusalem legitimises Israel’s occupation and its accompanying measures, representing a “blatant disregard for UN resolutions” at a time when Israel is acting with extraordinary brutality across the occupied territories.