Experts decry US’ Jerusalem decision

AMMAN — The US administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital threatens the political solution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the establishment of the independent Palestinian state, and imposes demographic and geographic Judaisation risks of the Holy City, experts stressed on Wednesday. 

During a forum held by the Middle East Studies Centre (MESC) titled “Towards an effective Arab agenda to suspend the US decision regarding Jerusalem”, participants said that the move would encourage Israel to expand its “Zionist” policies in demolishing Jerusalem’s neighbourhoods and  villages  as well as withdrawing the IDs of its residents, and consider them illegal residents. 

Anees Qasem, international law expert, said that the Israeli Knesset is passing a by-law that will annex parts of Jerusalem to Israel in a bid to raise the ratio of Israeli residents of the holy city to 68 per cent which would threaten the life of around 200,000 Arab-Palestinian residents.

On the other hand, the decision puts the region at risk of instability as the US “embarrassing” its alliances in the Arab world and pushing them to accept the new situation.

US President Donald Trump’s decision is a breach to international conventions and the United Nation Security Council resolutions regarding the Palestinian occupied territories of 1967, Fahed Abu Athamneh, deputy president of the Constitutional Court said, underlying the need to “invest” in the international community’s rejection of the unilateral decision.

Qased Mahmoud, a military expert said that, despite the religious, political and national dangers of the decision, it would be the “beginning of the end of the Zionist influence” in the region under the American sponsorship and a turning point if Arabs stand together and take real measures that ensure the transformation.

The participants urged Palestinians to end the divisions, achieve a national reconciliation and consider new options to restore their rights such as the “armed and peaceful resistance”. 

The participants suggested that Palestine should refer Israel to the International Criminal Court and make a complaint against the US in the International Court of Justice.