Relocating U.S. embassy is provocation of Arabs: Aboul Gheit

CAIRO – 6 December 2017: Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the American administration's intention to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel with the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Aboul Gheit warned against the “dangerous magnitude of the negative consequences” of this decision, suggesting that the decision, which will stand in the way of peace, illustrates that the U.S. does not digest the situation properly.

The Secretary-General said in a Wednesday press statement, “Jerusalem has its special status in the hearts of the Arab Christian or Muslims,” describing the move as a futile attempt to manipulate its fate.

Aboul Gheit continued, “I was staggered by the involvement of the U.S. administration in the unjustified provocation of the feelings of 360 million Arabs, and 1.5 billion Muslims with the sole purpose to make Israel content.”

Earlier on Wednesday, President Donald Trump informed his Palestinian counterpart of his intention to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a move which implicitly gives Israel the right to call Jerusalem the Israeli capital.

Shortly afterwards, a hashtag entitled “Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Palestine” became the most trending worldwide, with millions of tweets condemning the potential implied U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Several international and regional condemnations trailed Tuesday’s announcement.