Saudi, Islamic foreign ministers condemn Colombia embassy opening in Jerusalem

Eighteen nations, including Pakistan, vociferously denounced the inauguration of the Colombian embassy in Jerusalem on Friday, asserting that any move recognizing the city as Israel's capital lacks legal standing. Colombia formally opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, aligning with a handful of countries, such as the United States, in supporting Israeli sovereignty in the disputed city.

Most countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv, asserting that Jerusalem's status will be resolved through a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In a joint declaration released by the Foreign Office, the foreign ministers of the 18 countries, which are Pakistan, Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, and Turkey, strongly condemned the Colombian move.

They emphasized that it contravenes UN Security Council resolutions and hampers international efforts towards a "just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution." The foreign ministers reiterated that any action aiming to alter Jerusalem's legal or historical status or acknowledge it as Israel's capital is null and void, lacking any legal effect.

They urged the Colombian government to reconsider and reverse its decision, comply with international law, and refrain from actions detrimental to the Palestinian people's rights, including their aspiration for an independent and sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Pakistan joined 13 other nations in condemning the "illegal and unacceptable" decision of Somaliland to establish a "pseudo" embassy in occupied Jerusalem in May, describing it as an infringement on Jerusalem's legal and historical status.

Since US President Donald Trump relocated the US embassy to Jerusalem in his first term, asserting it as Israel's capital, only a limited number of US-aligned countries, like Fiji, Guatemala, Honduras, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Nauru, have followed suit. Kosovo and Somaliland, which are not UN member-states, have also opened what they deem their embassies in Jerusalem.