The Ambassador of Palestine to Uruguay Walid Abdel–Rahim told Sputnik, that recent decision of several Latin American countries to move their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is “illegal” and violates international law.
“There is a UN resolution which calls on states not to open diplomatic missions in Jerusalem because, according to the international law, it is considered an occupied territory. Thus, having decided to move its embassy to Jerusalem, the country breaches the law. We cannot understand how a president or a country can take such a step,” – he stressed.
This comes as a spokesman of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Emmanuel Nahshon, said in a statement that "Paraguay President Horacio Cartes plans to come to Israel by the end of the month to open an embassy in Jerusalem." However, this information contradicts an announcement made by Paraguay's foreign ministry, which stated that such a decision had not yet been made.
In April, Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes announced his readiness to move the country's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem amid Palestine's protests against the relocation of the US Embassy.
READ MORE: Israel Mulls Building 'Trump Town' for Foreign Embassies in Jerusalem
Paraguay follows a similar move made by US President Donald Trump, who on December 6 announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and instructed the US State Department to launch the process of moving the US Embassy, currently located in Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem. This step has provoked mass protests in Palestine and around the world.
READ MORE: 'Let Him Dream': Palestinian FM on Israel's Claim to Move Embassies to Jerusalem
Meanwhile, Palestine plans to continue its effort to disrupt the US plans, as Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki has recently told Sputnik. It intends to continue its peaceful mass protests in the Gaza Strip and begin similar rallies in the West Bank on the day of the US Embassy's move to Jerusalem, scheduled for May 14.
READ MORE: Palestine May Soon Take 'Serious' Steps Against Israel, US
Israel seized then Jordan-controlled East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1980, the Israeli parliament adopted the Jerusalem Law proclaiming the entire city Israel’s undivided capital. The international community does not recognize the annexation and believes the status of Jerusalem should be agreed with the Palestinians, who claim its eastern part as the capital of their future state.
