Coptic Church concerned over U.S. decision regarding Jerusalem

CAIRO – 6 December 2017: Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church headed by Pope Twadros II expressed on Wednesday its concern about U.S. administration’s decision to move U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

The U.S. decision is conflicting with all international covenants about Jerusalem, said the church in a statement, indicating that the decision will have negative consequences not only on the region, but also on the whole world.

The church called for the need to keep the legal situation of Jerusalem in accordance with the international terms of reference and the United Nations (UN) resolutions in this regard.

The Church stressed that it stands with efforts to advance peace, and calls for negotiations as the best way to achieve a just solution and comprehensive peace.

In addition, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted overwhelmingly on Monday in favor of two Egyptian draft resolutions submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), declaring Israel’s actions in the Syrian Golan and East Jerusalem "null and void."

The UN adopted on December 1, 2017, the draft resolution “Jerusalem” (UNSCR A/72/L.11), that banned any actions by Israel to impose its laws, jurisdiction or administration on Jerusalem, the UN website reported.

With 151 votes in favor, the GA issued UNSCR A/72/L.11; and six Member States rejected, namely Canada, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, the United States and Israel.

An announcement on the decision will be made "in [the] coming days," White House Spokesman Hogan Gidley told reporters aboard Air Force One, as Trump was returning from a trip to Utah.

Trump had been due to decide whether to sign a waiver that would hold off relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv for another six months, as every U.S. president has done since Congress passed a law on the issue in 1995.

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and the international community does not recognize Israel's claim on the entire city, home to sites holy to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions.