FILE - Demonstrators shout slogans during protests against the U.S. declaration to move its embassy to Jerusalem and to recognize the city as the capital of Israel December 6, 2017 - REUTERS
CAIRO – 13 December 2017: 40 Egyptian and Arab organizations expressed their categorical rejection of the U.S. administration's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The organizations considered the U.S. decision as a threat to peace and security in the region and a flagrant violation of the basic principles of the international order and legitimacy as well as of the right of self-determination of the Palestinians.
Trump’s decision would have a negative impact on peace negotiations, undermine the efforts already exerted and provoke Palestinians, the organizations said in a joint statement, confirming that this decision is a reversal of the political process since the Madrid Peace Conference 1992.
The United States ignored the international consensus and its unilateral decision of Palestinian sovereignty over Jerusalem, which is a grave breach of the responsibilities of states not party to any conflict, making the U.S. administration an active partner in international crimes towards Jerusalem including the settlements, forcible displacement and forced annexation of the land.
The United States has played a key role as a mediator and guarantor of reaching a peace agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis during the last three decades. Trump’s decision undermines the U.S. role as a guarantor of a fair solution to the conflict.
In a statement offered by the organizations, they pointed out that the legislation Israel is currently working on intends to give them control over the large settlement blocs around Jerusalem from the three sides which link the West Bank to the north, east and south, to obstruct any possibility of a viable Palestinian State.
The international community and its governments have to go beyond the condemnation of the decision, the statement added, stressing that it is time to adopt resolutions that include practical steps to end grave violations that jeopardize peace and stability in the region and the world.
The 40 organizations warned of the Israeli reaction to the Palestinian anger and of the use of excessive violence against the Palestinian people, who are exercising their right to demonstrate and protest against the U.S. decision, which would exacerbate the anger and lead to further instability and fuel conflicts in the region.
The statement was signed by 40 organizations from different Arab countries including the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the Egyptian Coalition on the Rights of the Child, the Association of Artica- Tunisia, the Youth for Torgha - Libya, the Syrian Human Rights Network - Syria, as well as many others.
On Wednesday night, Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel during a televised speech from the White House. Trump’s decision was met by a barrage of criticism and condemnations from many Arab and world leaders, while protests took place in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and different parts of the Arab world.
Clashes broke out between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the West Bank on Friday. Israeli forces fired tear gas on the protesters, killing two Palestinians and injuring more than 300 others. On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes killed two other Palestinians and injured dozens, raising the injured toll to 1,114 people, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health on Saturday.
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