KUWAIT, Dec 6 (KUNA) -- Many countries reacted angrily to President Donald Trump's decision on Wednesday to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel and move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.
The Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani warned that the US decision would complicate the situations in the Middle East, which is already fraught with peril.
In a phone call with the US leader today, Sheikh Tamim reaffirmed Qatar's principled stance on Palestine question based on the UN resolutions and the Arab peace initiative, QNA reported.
He stressed the need of commitment by all parties to the two-state vision for peace and recognition of the Palestinian people's right to statehood.
Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi rejected the US decision as a flagrant violation of the international legitimacy and tampering with the special status of the holy city.
"The US move ignores the fact that Jerusalem is held in high esteem in the eyes of all Arab and Muslim peoples," he said in a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
On his part, the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb warned that the US move could have trigger serious responses as it ignores the Palestinians' right to regain their occupied city.
The unfair move trifles with the sentiments of more than 1.5 billion Muslims as it tampers with the status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the city which is the first "qibla" and the third most sacred site, he said in a statement.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the decision as well as any unilateral move to force a new fait accompli in the Middle East.
Such decisions, which contravene the international legitimacy and the relevant UN resolution, are unlikely to be able to change the status quo in the occupied city, the ministry said in a press release tonight.
The UN Security Council Resolution 242 for 1967 provides for Israeli pullout from the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, to the borderlines of June 4, 1967, the statement recalled.
The UN Security Council Resolution 478 for 1980 rendered null and void the Israeli decision to annex the holy city and proclaim it as eternal capital of the Jewish state.
In addition, the UN Security Council Resolution 2334 for 2016, as well as several UN General Assembly resolutions, deemed illegitimate any Israeli move to change the status quo in Jerusalem away from negotiations with the Palestinians, the statement reminded.
The statement urged respect for the UN resolutions, which express the collective will of the international community, noting that the holy city is of great cultural, spiritual and historical status in the eyes of the Arab and Muslim nations.
It warned that the US move would put in peril the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks and could have serious repercussions on stability and security in the Middle East region and beyond.
One of the main principles of the peace process is that the fate of Jerusalem should be decided by the final status talks between the Palestinians and Israel, it added.
Similarly, the Kingdom of Jordan said the US decision is a violation of international legitimacy resolutions and the UN Charter, which clearly stipulate that Jerusalem's status should be decided by negotiations and deem all unilateral actions aimed at imposing new facts on the ground null and void.
"Jordan rejects the decision which fuels tension and supports the occupation," Petra news agency quoted State Minister for Media Affairs and Government's Spokesperson Mohammad al-Momani as saying in a statement. The minister added that the decision, which preempts the outcome of final status negotiations, fuels anger and inflames the passions of Muslims and Christians throughout the Arab and Muslim worlds.
Jordan considers Jerusalem a final status issue that must be resolved within the framework of a comprehensive solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the pre-June 4, 1967, borderlines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
This is only way to achieve security, stability and peace, and in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, the minister added.
On a similar note, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote in Arabic on his Twitter account that Jerusalem would remain an Arab and Islamic city forever.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry also strongly denounced the US move "as flagrant violation of the international resolutions." "Jerusalem which houses The Al-Aqsa Mosque - the first Qibla for Muslims, is the inseparable part of Palestine and is considered one of the three sacred Islamic sites, enjoying a special status for Muslims," IRNA quoted a statement by the ministry as saying.
"It is a common knowledge that the Zionist regime has taken various actions to extend full dominance on the city including driving out its main inhabitants, occupying estates and lands, and Judization the city.
"The Zionist enemy aims to change population make-up in the city, demolish holy Islamic monuments, and desecrate the Al-Aqsa Mosque," the statement added. (more) kt.gb