Arab foreign ministers have called Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital a “dangerous violation of international law” that had no legal impact and was “void”.
The Arab League urged the United States to abandon an announcement it said would increase unrest in the region. “The decision has no legal effect ... it deepens tension, ignites anger and threatens to plunge region into more violence and chaos,” the Arab League said early on Sunday after an emergency session attended by all its members in Cairo.
Trump’s endorsement of Israel’s claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital goes against long-standing US policy that the city’s status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
The league said it would seek a UN security council resolution rejecting the US move.
Lebanon’s foreign minister, Gebran Bassil, said during the meeting that Arab nations should consider imposing economic sanctions against the US to prevent it moving its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
“Pre-emptive measures [must be] taken ... beginning with diplomatic measures, then political, then economic and financial sanctions,” he said, without giving specific details.
The Arab League statement made no mention of economic sanctions.
Arab criticism of Trump’s plan contrasted sharply with the praise Washington’s traditional Arab allies heaped on him at the beginning of his administration in January.