News / Palestine

OIC slams Papua New Guinea's embassy in occupied al-Quds as ‘unlawful’

Thursday, 07 September 2023 6:34 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 07 September 2023 7:08 PM ]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and his Papua New Guinean counterpart James Marape open Papua New Guinea’s embassy in the occupied city of al-Quds on September 5, 2023. (Photo by Anadolu news agency)

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly condemned Papua New Guinea's decision to open an embassy in the occupied city of al-Quds, stressing that the step is unlawful and constitutes a violation of international law as well as relevant UN resolutions.

It said in a statement on Thursday that the embassy opening specifically infringes upon UN Security Council Resolution No. 478 (1980), which calls on states that have established diplomatic missions in al-Quds to withdraw them.

The OIC stressed that the decision contributes to the consolidation of the system of illegal colonial occupation, and violates the rights of the Palestinian people.

It also called on Papua New Guinea to reverse its illegal decision, engage in supporting the efforts of the international community aimed at achieving a just and comprehensive peace, based on international resolutions and the 2002 so-called Arab Peace Initiative, which conditions normalizing ties with Israel on the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

Papua New Guinea’s decision to open embassy in al-Quds violates intl. law: Palestine

Palestine censure Papua New Guinea’s decision to open an embassy in occupied al-Quds as a violation of the international law and the United Nations resolutions concerning the holy city.

On Tuesday, Papua New Guinea inaugurated its embassy in al-Quds, becoming the fifth country after the United States, Kosovo, Guatemala and Honduras to open a diplomatic mission in the holy city.

This is while most countries maintain their diplomatic representation in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates decried Papua New Guinea’s decision to open embassy in al-Quds as “an aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights.”

It warned that the move would cause “great harm to the chances of achieving peace on the basis of a [so-called] two-state solution.”

The Palestinian ministry said it will use all political, diplomatic and legal means to “pursue these countries over their unjustified aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights.”

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