RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) on Saturday released a statement denouncing US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The NSHR called the move “a blatant violation of the rights of the Palestinian people and of the Arab and Islamic nations, and of international conventions and resolutions related to the Palestinian cause.”
The statement said: “This decision is illegal and contravenes the resolutions of international legitimacy, particularly Security Council resolutions and the UN General Assembly, which affirm the illegality of Israeli laws on Jerusalem, and call on countries with diplomatic missions in Jerusalem to close them.”
The society stressed that the rights of the Palestinian people have been recognized and supported by the international community, which calls for refraining from taking any steps that would constitute a public or implicit recognition of Israel’s annexation of Jerusalem.
The NSHR added that Jerusalem is an integral part of the Palestinian territories which have been occupied since 1967.
The NSHR called on Arab, Islamic, and other peace-loving countries to take the necessary measures to push the American administration to review its position and comply with international will to enable the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate rights.
It demanded that Israel comply with UN resolutions, which affirmed the nullity of all its legislative and administrative procedures and the confiscation of land and property aimed at changing the legal status of Jerusalem.
The statement also demanded that Israel comply with the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, and with UN Security Council Resolution 465 of 1980.
It declared that the measures taken by Israel to alter the physical features, demographic composition and institutional structure in the occupied Palestinian territory or any part of it have no legal basis.
It called the Israeli occupation “the worst violation of human rights and the source of all violations suffered by the Palestinian people.”
The NSHR said Trump’s announcement “requires the international community, particularly Arab and Islamic countries and human rights organizations, to take the necessary diplomatic and legal measures to address this irresponsible decision.”
The statement also affirmed that East Jerusalem should be the capital of the State of Palestine and called on the international community to provide the necessary support to the Palestinian people to enable them to face the measures aimed at the confiscation of their rights.