European Union and Arab League countries call for Jerusalem to be the joint capital of Israel and a future Palestinian state.
European Union (EU) and Arab League countries on Monday called for Jerusalem to be the joint capital of Israel and a future Palestinian state, The Associated Press reported.
Speaking after talks between EU and Arab League foreign ministers, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that the “special status and character of the city must be preserved.”
She added the two blocs “see eye to eye” that there can only be a two-state solution to the conflict, with Israel and Palestinian Arabs living side by side in peace.
U.S. President Donald Trump in December recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, angering Palestinian Arabs. Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas has ruled outU.S. mediation in the peace process, claiming it is no longer an “honest broker” due to Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem.
In a resolution after an emergency meeting in December, Arab foreign ministers urged the U.S. to rescind its decision and said Washington had “withdrawn itself as a sponsor and broker” of the Israeli-Palestinian Arab peace process.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul Gheit in December called Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital “dangerous and unacceptable” and described it as a “flagrant attack on a political solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict.
Monday’s meeting came as Washington prepares to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to a scaled-down, temporary facility that will open in Jerusalem in May, in time for Israel’s 70th Independence Day.