Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Arab League foreign ministers hold an emergency meeting in Cairo after Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Arab League foreign ministers hold an emergency meeting in Cairo after Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Photograph: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters
Arab League foreign ministers hold an emergency meeting in Cairo after Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Photograph: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters

Trump Jerusalem move 'a dangerous violation' of international law, says Arab League

This article is more than 6 years old

Foreign ministers says US president’s decision threatens to send the region into ‘violence and chaos’

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.

More on this story

More on this story

  • NBA website changes Palestine definition after Israeli minister's letter

  • US to make at least $285m cut to UN budget after vote on Jerusalem

  • Palestinians no longer accept US as mediator, Abbas tells summit

  • Israel praises Guatemala over decision to move embassy to Jerusalem

  • US outnumbered 14 to 1 as it vetoes UN vote on status of Jerusalem

  • Turkey hopes to open embassy in East Jerusalem, says Erdoğan

  • Funeral of Palestinian amputee killed by Israeli fire takes place in Gaza

  • Mike Pence's Holy Land visit in disarray after Jerusalem recognition

  • Israeli undercover soldiers seen arresting Palestinian protesters

Most viewed

Most viewed