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Arab Parliament chief says Palestinian statehood needs to happen

The Arab Parliament's President Dr. Mishal Al-Salmi during the meeting
The Arab Parliament's President Dr. Mishal Al-Salmi during the meeting
CAIRO, Dec 11 (KUNA) -- The Arab Parliament's President Dr. Mishal Al-Salmi has called for a plan of action to fulfill Palestinian aspirations of statehood, holding the US accountable for its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Addressing an extraordinary session of the regional bloc on Monday, with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Al-Maliki and the Arab League's Secretary General Ahmed Abul-Gheit both in attendance, Al-Salmi said that the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move its embassy to the holy city risks plunging the region into upheaval.
On the US decision, he said it was "a blow to the legitimacy of international laws as it threatens global peace and security," adding that "it flagrantly violates the rights of the Palestinian people." Al-Salmi pointed out that the Arab Parliament has long sought to serve the interests of the Arab people, saying that all Arabs are "willing to sacrifice their lives for the city of Jerusalem." The Arab Parliament's chief urged his fellow comrades to step up and support the Palestinian cause, thanking the international community for deploring the US decision in equal measure. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday recognized in a much-anticipated announcement Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The US president's decision has sparked wide-scale condemnations and rejection at Arab, Islamic and international levels.
The Palestinian forces called for three days of rage to protest the US move on Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in the June 1967 war. (end) mfm.nam