Arab League condemns Guatemala’s embassy relocation in Jerusalem

CAIRO – 5 March 2018: The Arab League has condemned Guatemala’s announcement of relocating its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem this May, considering it a “wrong approach”.

In a statement released Monday, March 5, Saeed Abu Ali, assistant secretary-general for Palestine and the occupied Arab territories of the League States, condemned the announcement. “This is a presentence on the wrong approach Guatemala chooses regarding Palestine. It violates the international decisions and legitimacy regarding the historical-case, as it’s intended to provoke the Arab world,” Ali said in his statement.

He demanded that Guatemala's government retract its “illegal” decision, which is internationally refused and denied.

Shortly after the American decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing it as the official capital of Israel, Guatemala announced that it would follow President Donald Trump’s lead and do the same.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon described Guatemala as a “true friend” of his country on December 25. Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said on Twitter that he took his decision after talking with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Guatemala was one of nine countries that voted against the non-binding December 21 U.N. General Assembly resolution rejecting Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. From its side, the Palestinian Authority said that Guatemala’s decision is “disappointing”.

After Trump’s decision on December 6 to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing the latter as the official capital of Israel, the Palestinian administration described Trump’s administration as unfair and disqualified more than once. Additionally, it was announced that Palestine was considering involving several countries during the peace talks and excluding Washington.