Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al Maliki urged Arab states, during an emergency meeting of the Arab League, to recall their ambassador in Washington for consultations, in a show of protest for the American relocation of its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “Despite our understanding of the relationship between Arab states and the United States, however, there is no harm in Arab states collectively recalling their ambassadors in Washington to their capitals for consultations, and to show the Arab discontent from America’s bias towards the occupation. This should happen in addition to recalling the European Union ambassadors to reiterate the Arab refusal of the moving of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem,” Riyad al-Maliki, Palestinian Foreign Minister said.
Even though Arab states voiced solidarity with the Palestinians and their condemnation of Israel’s claim to Jerusalem, while rejecting Washington’s opening of an embassy in the city, they clearly seemed to brush off the Palestinian demands for actions against the United States. That said, Arab League’s Secretary General vowed to take action through international bodies against Israel and its connection to Jerusalem.
Meanwhile in the Turkish city of Istanbul, Turkey’s Foreign minister, in a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, stressed the importance for Muslim countries to unite in preventing countries from following in the foot-steps of the United States – as was the case with Guatemala – emphasizing the importance of maintaining the Muslim nature of the antient city. “In the final declaration that we are going to adopt, we will emphasize the central status of the Palestine issue and holy Jerusalem for our Islamic community, and we will shout that we will not allow changing the historical status of the city. We have to unite in this issue and prevent other countries to follow the example of U.S,” Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister said.
The voiced threats by Muslim countries against anyone thinking of relocating their embassies in Israel to Jerusalem, however, have had little effect thus far – with Paraguay’s government spokesman announcing President Horacio Cartes’ departure for Israel on Saturday, ahead of his country’s scheduled embassy inauguration in Jerusalem on Tuesday.