PARIS: Both friends and foes of the United States voiced criticism on Monday as Washington opened its embassy in the disputed city of Jerusalem, saying the move would fan Middle East tensions.
Chief US ally Britain reiterated its stated objection to the move, while the Iranian speaker of parliament said it showed that US President Donald Trump is “feebleminded” and “incapable of evaluating the long-term consequences of his actions”.
“Such actions will increase tensions and insecurity in the world,” Ali Larijani said, adding that they would not go “unanswered”.
The ceremony in Jerusalem, where Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner officiated, came after Israeli troops put down protests over the move by Palestinians at the Gaza border with Israel, killing 52 civilians.
“We disagree with the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital before a final status agreement,” a spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said.
“The British embassy to Israel is based in Tel Aviv and we have no plans to move it.”
Under the 1993 Oslo peace accords supervised by then US president Bill Clinton, the status of Jerusalem, including whether East Jerusalem will be the capital of a Palestinian state, was to be agreed in future negotiations.
The British statement added that London has “no plans” to move its mission from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which is holy to three of the world’s major religions.
France also spoke out against the US move, saying along with many other critics that it violated “unambiguous” international law and UN Security Council resolutions.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a visit to London, slammed what he called a “very, very unfortunate” move, saying that it had stripped Washington of its role as mediator in the Middle East peace process. — AFP
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