The International Commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights (ICSPR) condemns the Minister of Foreign Affairs statement on in the determination of his country (the Republic of Guatemala) to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on 16 May.

Press Release,

The International Commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights (ICSPR) condemns the Minister of Foreign Affairs statement on in the determination of his country (the Republic of Guatemala) to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on 16 May.

The International Commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights (ICSPR) followed with deep concern the announcement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, “Sandra Joviel”, yesterday that her President, “Jimmy Morales” will attend the ceremony of transferring the Guatemalan embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 16.

And that Guatemala was cooperating with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to complete the arrangements. Despite the decision of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Guatemala to freeze the decision, based on a lawsuit filed by a group of Guatemalan jurists headed by lawyer “Marco Venise Mejia Davila.”

According to the Guatemalan Constitution as a secular State, and out of purely religious standpoints, the President is not entitled to make decisions that affect the peaceful coexistence of the society.

It should be noted on December 24 last year, Morales announced that his country would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, to be the first country in the world to follow the United States example in its decision to relocate its embassy to the Holy City, following Trump’s announcement that America recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of the occupation and will transfer its embassy to it.

In addition to the United States and Guatemala, six other States have decided to move their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which are: Honduras, Togo, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Republic of Palau and the Republic of Nauru.

The International Commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights (ICSPR) affirms that such potentially and unprecedented steps are dangerous and aimed to legitimize the settlement and annexation operations carried out by the occupation state in Jerusalem.

These operations contradict the principle of the inadmissibility of the annexation of the occupied territories to the occupation state, which is considered by the jurists of international law as the most important principle of the principles established in international law that regulates the relationship between the occupation state and the occupied state and its territories, as it constituted a clear violation of international law.

ICSPR warns of the serious and illegal consequences of the implementation of any step by the State of Guatemala in this regard. It therefore calls for:

• ICSPR considers that any possible implementation of the transfer of Guatemala Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem constitutes a clear violation of the principles of international legality, international humanitarian law and all international resolutions relevant to the Palestinian cause since its inception, in particular the Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on the city of Jerusalem.
• ICSPR urges the international community and the free world to condemn these steps and to work on a UN resolution to boycott Israel for failing to comply with UN resolutions, especially the UN Security Council Resolution 2234 of 23 December 2016 on the illegality of the Israeli settlements.
• ICSPR demands the Palestinian leadership to suspend the diplomatic relations with the State of Guatemala, end the security coordination, and withdrawal the recognition of the occupation state and to establish a plan to support the steadfastness of the people and institutions of Jerusalem and form a unified national authority in the city.
• ICSPR urges the Arab and Islamic countries, including the League of Arab States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, to initiate international, political, diplomatic and legal actions to prevent and counter this trend, including the call of the League of Arab States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference for urgent and extraordinary meetings to formulate a unified Arab position on the US foreign policy possible changes on regional issues, especially the Palestinian issue.

Regards,,,