Shoukry in Amman to tackle Jerusalem’s developments

CAIRO – 5 January 2018: Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, will head to Amman, Jordan, on Saturday to take part in the meetings of the Six-Arab Countries Committee on Jerusalem, according to a Friday statement by the Foreign Ministry.

“This is the first meeting for the six-party committee on Jerusalem since it was formed upon the Arab League’s urgent summit for Arab Foreign Ministers held on December 9,” said Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid.

Abu Zeid added that Shoukry will take part in this meeting along with his Arab counterparts from Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in addition to the Arab League’s Secretary-General.

This meeting is expected to tackle developments that occurred as a result of the American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the relocation of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the statement read.

Arab states believe the American decision brought a “negative influence” over the future of the peace process talks, Abu Zeid stressed.

On November 12, Shoukry met with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, in Amman. They discussed possible processes and methods of reaching a political settlement in Syria, under the auspices of the United Nations (UN); and Egyptian efforts to reach Palestinian reconciliation .

On December 6, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel by announcing the relocation of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This decision was condemned and rejected by all Arab and Islamic countries, as well as most Western and Asian countries.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets to denounce the American announcement on Jerusalem in different cities across the world.

On Sunday, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said he had given instructions to move the Central American country's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, according to Reuters.

On December 19, Palestine’s Safa news agency revealed that Israel planned to inaugurate a synagogue near Al-Buraq Wall (Western Wall).

On December 21, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly passed a non-binding resolution condemning Trump’s decision and called on states not to move their diplomatic missions to Jerusalem.