Jordan welcomes UN vote, calls for joint action to resolve conflict

AMMAN — Jordan on Thursday hailed the UN General Assembly's resolution rejecting the US administration’s unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel and plan to relocate the US embassy to the holy city, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The General Assembly voted with a majority of 128 votes for the resolution, which was submitted by Yemen as the head of the Arab coalition, and Turkey on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, while nine states voted against, and 35 countries abstained.

Yemen’s envoy delivered the Arab coalition's speech where he stressed the bloc's rejection of the US decision, and its support of the right of the Palestinian people to sovereignty on all occupied Palestinian lands of 1967.

State Minister for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani said that the resolution reflects the international community’s determination to ensure the illegality of any measure that targets the status quo of the holy city.

Momani, who is also the government’s spokesperson, said that the international law recognises East Jerusalem as an occupied land and that the key to peace is Jerusalem being the capital of the Palestinian state within the pre-1967 lines.

Momani called on the international community to jointly work for a resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state formula and in line with the relevant international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, underlining peace as an Arab strategic choice.

On behalf of the Arab coalition at the UN General Assembly, Yemen’s Ambassador to the UN Khaled Al Yamani praised Jordan’s efforts under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah, the Custodian of the Holy Sites in occupied Jerusalem, and his endeavours in dealing with Israeli measures.

He condemned the Israeli policies, practices and plans aimed at annexing occupied East Jerusalem, changing its Arab character and its demographic structure, and attempts to change the historical and legal status of the Islamic and Christian sites, including Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif.

In this regard, he expressed the Arab coalition’s appreciation for the role played by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in addressing all these illegal measures as custodians of the holy sites in the city.