Egypt s foreign ministry condemned on Wednesday US President Donald Trump s announcement that the US will recognise Jerusalem as Israel s capital and will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
In a statement issued shortly following the US president s speech in Washington, the Egyptian foreign ministry said that such unilateral decisions violate international resolutions.
"Egypt is extremely concerned about the possible impact of [Trump s] decision on the stability of the region," the ministry said, adding that the US decision inflames anger in the Arab and Muslim world considering the spiritual, cultural and historical status of Jerusalem.
The statement said that Trump s decision would not change the legal status of Jerusalem as an occupied city, referring to a number of UN Security Council resolutions regarding this issue, including resolution No.242/1967, which demands that Israel withdraw from the territories it occupied in 1967, including Jerusalem.
The ministry also referred to UN Security Council resolution No.478/1980, which rejects the decision by the Israeli government to annex Jerusalem and declare the city its official capital.
The statement also mentioned resolution No.2334/2016, which states that the council does not recognise changes made to Israel s borders post-1967, other than those agreed by the two sides through negotiations.
The statement said that the decision by the US will have a "highly negative" impact on the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, given that the status of Jerusalem is an issue to be addressed in the final stages of the peace process, with its fate to be determined by the concerned parties.
The ministry also warned of the danger Trump s move poses to the current efforts to resume peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians to set up a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
