Pakistan, 18 countries reject Colombia’s Jerusalem embassy, says move has 'no legal effect'

Eighteen countries, including Pakistan, strongly condemned the inauguration of the Colombian embassy in Jerusalem on Friday. They stated that any move to recognize the city as Israel's capital has no legal effect. Colombia had officially opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, joining a small group of countries, such as the United States, in supporting Israeli sovereignty in the contested city.

Most nations maintain their embassies in Israel in Tel Aviv, as they believe the status of Jerusalem should be resolved in a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A joint statement from the foreign ministers of the 18 countries, including Pakistan, Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, and Turkiye, strongly condemned the Colombian action. They emphasized that it contradicts relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and undermines international efforts for a "just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution."

The foreign ministers reaffirmed that any measure or decision to alter Jerusalem's legal or historical status, or to recognize it as Israel's capital, is null and void and has no legal effect. They called upon the Colombian government to reconsider and reverse its decision, uphold its obligations under international law, and refrain from actions that undermine the Palestinian people's rights, including their right to an independent and sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Pakistan joined 13 other countries in condemning the "illegal and unacceptable step" of Somaliland opening a "purported" embassy in occupied Jerusalem in May, labeling it an infringement on Jerusalem's legal and historical status. The United States, under President Donald Trump, moved its embassy to Jerusalem during his first term, recognizing the city as Israel's capital.

Since then, only a few US-aligned countries, such as Fiji, Guatemala, Honduras, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Nauru, have followed suit, along with Kosovo and Somaliland, which are not UN member-states but have opened what they consider their embassies in Jerusalem.