Arab condemnations of Colombia opening its embassy in Jerusalem

Arab countries, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, condemned Colombia's opening of an embassy in the city of Jerusalem, on Wednesday. The spokesman for the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed, “Jordan’s condemnation and rejection of this step as a violation of international law and international legitimacy resolutions,” according to the official Al-Mamlaka TV channel.

The spokesman said, “Any measures or decisions aimed at changing the status of the city of Jerusalem or its legal status are considered invalid, illegal, and have no legal effect.” He stressed that "the only way to achieve a just and comprehensive peace that guarantees security and stability in the region is to embody an independent, sovereign Palestinian state along the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital."

A statement by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs also expressed the Kingdom’s “condemnation and denunciation” of “the Colombian government’s attempt to open an embassy in the occupied city of Jerusalem, in flagrant violation of international law and relevant international legitimacy resolutions, and in a way that represents a direct violation of the legal and historical status of the occupied city of Jerusalem.” The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that it “confirms its categorical rejection of this step, which represents a flagrant violation of international law and relevant international legitimacy resolutions.”

A statement from the ministry described the move as "undermining efforts aimed at achieving just and comprehensive peace, and an attempt to impose a fait accompli that affects the legal and historical status of the occupied city of Jerusalem," stressing that "all unilateral measures... are considered null and void and do not have any legal effect."

The Palestinians demand that East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967, be the capital of their future state. Several countries, including Honduras, Guatemala and Paraguay, moved their diplomatic missions from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, after the United States did so in 2018.