Arab League condemns Australia, Brazil for recognizing al-Quds as Israel ‘capital’

The Arab League has in a resolution condemned Australia and Brazil for recognizing Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of the Israeli regime, urging the two states to “abide by international law” concerning the status of the city.

The resolution was adopted on Tuesday by delegates from the Arab League’s member states during an extraordinary meeting held at its Cairo headquarters.

The Arab League also decided to dispatch a "high-ranking delegation" to Brazil and Australia to inform officials there on the need to "abide by international law" concerning the city.

The move came after Australia formally announced on Saturday its recognition of west Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital.

Following the announcement, the Arab League’s assistant secretary general for Palestine and the occupied Arab territories, Saeed Abu Ali, condemned Australia’s decision as a break with the international community’s position that disregarded international law.

In a statement, he said it was “blatantly biased towards the positions and policies of the Israeli occupation”.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad also denounced on Sunday Australia’s move, saying that "they have no rights” to do so.

Read more:

• Palestinians slam Australia's recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel capital
• Bahrain defends Australia’s recognition of al-Quds as Israeli 'capital'

PressTV-Malaysia's Mahathir censures Australia's al-Quds move

The prime minister of Malaysia slams Australia’s move in recognizing Jerusalem al-Quds as Israeli’s capital.

Australia’s move was made after Brazil's president-elect Jair Bolsonaro announced in November his intention to relocate the Brazilian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds once he formally assumed the presidency.

The move will make the giant Latin American country the third state to relocate its embassy in Israel after the United States and Guatemala.

Read more:

• Brazil's decision to move embassy to al-Quds could harm ties: Arab League
• OIC denounces Brazil's decision to move embassy to occupied Jerusalem al-Quds

US President Donald Trump transferred the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds on May 14, in a move that infuriated Palestinians and the wider Islamic world and upset Western allies.

The relocation also triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and other Muslim countries.

The US president had announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s “capital” and relocate the US embassy in the occupied territories from Tel Aviv to the city on December 6 last year.

On December 21, 2017, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution that called on the US to withdraw its controversial policy shift, but all to no avail.

Israel occupied Jerusalem al-Quds in 1967 in a move never recognized by the international community. The Palestinians want the city as the capital of their future state.

Tensions have been running high in the occupied Palestinian territories and the Gaza Strip since December 2017, when US President Donald Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s “capital” and relocate Washington’s embassy from Tel Aviv to the occupied city.

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