Arab ministers demand US reverse Jerusalem move amid deadly unrest

Arab countries have demanded the US revoke its decision recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, calling it “invalid.”  

“This shift in the US policy on Jerusalem is a dangerous development whereby the US has isolated itself from being a sponsor and mediator in the [Middle East] peace process,” Arab Foreign ministers said in a final statement following an emergency meeting in Cairo.  

The officials also called for a UN Security Council motion declaring that Trump’s decision “violates international resolutions and has no legal effect.”  The ministers called on their leaders to hold an emergency summit on Jerusalem, proposing Jordan as a venue. Jordan currently holds the rotating Arab League presidency.   Prior to the meeting, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki said his delegation to the Arab regional organization would push for a clear reaction to Trump’s decision.  

He also confirmed that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet US Vice President Mike Pence on his upcoming visit to the Middle East this month, as a symbol of protest. Trump’s decision has outraged Palestinians and triggered street protests across the Arab and Muslim worlds.  

Earlier Saturday, Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church said it had refused a meeting with Pence when he visits Cairo. The move came a day after Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb, the head of al-Azhar, Egypt’s highest Islamic body, also announced that he was cancelling a meeting with Pence.  

The church said that Trump’s decision to move his country’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem “has shown no regard to feelings of millions” of Arabs. 
 Cairo/Gaza, (dpa), 10 Dec 2017