Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit emphasized on Saturday that by international law and the United Nations and Security Council resolutions, East Jerusalem is an “occupied land” and should not be treated otherwise.
On his Twitter page, Aboul Gheit said “those who brandish respect for international laws must not have double standards.”
Aboul Gheit had on Thursday met with the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“Aboul Gheit had listened to the explanation given by the President of Kosovo regarding her country’s efforts to obtain additional international recognition,” Jamal Rushdie, spokesman for the League’s Secretary-General said.
Aboul Gheit stressed that the 2021 decision of Kosovo’s previous administration to open its embassy in Jerusalem is a clear violation of international law.
“The position taken by Kosovo’s former administration to open an embassy in Jerusalem in 2021, although it was a sovereign state decision, we consider it a blatant violation of international law, which considers Jerusalem a city under occupation and does not recognize it as the capital of Israel,” said Aboul Gheit.
Rushdie also stated that Aboul Gheit had conveyed to Kosovo’s President the “need to reconsider this decision, which we believe fails to serve the goal of achieving comprehensive peace in the region, nor does it reflect the deep relations between a number of Arab countries with the people of Kosovo.”