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News > Latin America

Ecuador Joins Latin America's Condemnation of Jerusalem Move

  • US President Donald Trump signed the decree Wednesday, sparking a wave of protest across Latin America and the wider world.

    US President Donald Trump signed the decree Wednesday, sparking a wave of protest across Latin America and the wider world. | Photo: Reuters

Published 6 December 2017
Opinion

In a flurry of protests, heads of state from Cuba to Ecuador have joined the growing international condemnation of Trump's "arbitrary" decision to relocate the U.S. embassy in Israel.

Governments across Latin America are voicing their opposition to U.S: President Donald Trump’s formal decree that the U.S. embassy in Israel is being moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

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In an ongoing flurry of enraged protests, heads of state from Cuba to Ecuador have joined the growing international condemnation of the "arbitrary" decision, which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has already warned could irreparably damage the delicate peace process.

Ecuador joined the throng late Thursday, issuing a formal statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejecting Trump's gesture. 

"The declaration of the United States undermines international efforts to seek a negotiated, just and lasting solution in the region. Ecuador warns of the negative effects that the decision of that country may have on the recovery of peace talks between Israel and Palestine," the statement read.

On Wednesday, Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Arreaza posted on Twitter: "The Bolivarian government of Venezuela expresses its firm condemnation of the US decision to recognize the city of Jerusalem, occupied illegally, as the capital of Israel. Venezuela expresses its respect for UN resolutions and its solidarity with the Palestinian people."

In the full statement, issued by Arreaza on behalf of President Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela "rejects any arbitrary, unilateral and without consultation actions that seek to strengthen the illegal presence of the State of Israel over the Occupied Palestinian Territory and its de facto annexation of the City of Jerusalem, facts that undermine the sovereignty of the State and the Palestinian people, undermine the peace and stability of the region, and tragically influence international efforts in search of a dialogued, peaceful, just and lasting solution."

The statement also expresses the desire of the Venezuelan people to "reaffirm their unrestricted commitment to the achievement of a dialogued, peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict, as well as for the concretion of the full sovereignty and independence of the brotherly State of Palestine, reiterating its willingness to face together with the brave Palestinian people all those arbitrary and unjust actions that, like this one, undermine the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and only seek to continue sowing chaos in the Middle East region."

In a separate statement also posted on Twitter, Bolivian President Evo Morales wrote: "We send our message of solidarity with the Palestinian people and affirm our support for the two-State solution, with the pre-1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian State."

Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also rejected the "unilateral declaration," which it described as "a serious and flagrant violation of the Charter of the UN, of International Law and of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations."

"This intention of the U.S. government to modify the historic status of Jerusalem violates the legitimate interests of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nations, will have serious consequences for stability and security in the Middle East, will further increase tensions in this region and will impede any effort aimed at resuming peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians,” the ministry said in a statement released late Wednesday.

"Cuba calls on the Security Council to fulfill the responsibility given to it by the UN Charter in the maintenance of international peace and security, to adopt the necessary decisions and to demand from Israel an immediate end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories and of aggressive policies and colonizing practices, as well as compliance with the resolutions adopted by that body on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question."

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Trump’s signing of the decree was immediately met with widespread resistance. Palestinian leaders have called for "Three Days of Rage," prompting Palestinians to take to the streets to demonstrate resistance.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh described the U.S. decision as "flagrant aggression" and an "uncalculated gamble that will know no limit to the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim reaction," Al Jazeera reported.

"Our national Palestinian cause is at a crossroads after the U.S. decision on Jerusalem," Abbas said in a separate speech aired live on the official Palestinian Television shortly after the White House statement.

"The Palestinians will remain a united front defending Jerusalem and peace and freedom and winning the rights of our people to end the occupation and achieve its national independence."

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