Arab League foreign ministers convened in an extraordinary session on Saturday in Cairo and warned of the repercussions of US President Donald Trump’s decision to consider Jerusalem as the “capital” of Israel.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, highlighted the international consensus against Trump's decision, calling on the US administration to reverse this announcement while stressing that the Arab peace initiative “is a roadmap for resolving the conflict.”
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, for his part, said that Trump’s decision “undermines Arab confidence in the United States as a sponsor of the peace process”, describing it as “bad in substance and form, unfair to Arab rights and contrary to international law.”
Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riad al-Maliki stressed that the US declaration “represents a reward for occupation, and strips the United States of its eligibility to play the role of mediator in the peace process.”
He noted, however, that the Palestinian Authority did not intend to withdraw from the peace process, but would no longer accept Washington as a mediator and would seek to replace it.
Seventeen foreign ministers and the Libyan foreign ministry undersecretary attended the meeting, in addition to the permanent representatives of Bahrain, Tunisia and the Republic of the Comoros.
The meeting came at the request of Palestine and Jordan and was supported by several Arab countries, to discuss latest developments in light of the US president’s announcement of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the transfer of the US embassy to it.
The Arab foreign ministers unanimously agreed to reject the US decision and to form an Arab ministerial committee to address the United Nations and the Security Council on this matter.
