Ramallah / Qais Abu Samra / Anadolu

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned the announcement by the government of Nauru of its intention to open an embassy to Israel in occupied Jerusalem, considering the step 'an assault on the Palestinian people and their rights,' and called on it to reconsider.

The ministry said in a statement that it condemns 'in the strongest terms' the decision of Nauru's Cabinet regarding its intention to open an embassy 'to the Israeli occupation authorities in occupied Jerusalem.'

It stressed that the decision represents 'a flagrant violation of international law and international legitimacy resolutions, and an assault on the Palestinian people and their just and legitimate rights.'

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called on the government of Nauru to reconsider the decision and not to be drawn into Israeli measures in the occupied city.

It emphasized that all measures taken by Israel in occupied Jerusalem are 'null and void and have no legal effect,' according to international law and United Nations resolutions.

It stressed that 'any recognition of occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, or the transfer or opening of diplomatic missions there, constitutes a violation of international legal obligations and of UN Security Council resolutions 476 and 478, undermines the international consensus on the legal and historical status of the city, and encourages Israel to continue its settlement policies.'

The ministry demanded that the government of Nauru comply with international law and UN resolutions, 'in order to preserve the chances of achieving peace on the basis of ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.'

It also called on 'regional and international organizations and brotherly and friendly states to assume their responsibilities in protecting the rights of the Palestinian people, particularly regarding the legal status of the city of Jerusalem.'

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced Nauru's intention to open its embassy to Israel in occupied Jerusalem.

Sa'ar said that the Cabinet of the island state made the decision last month, and that the embassy would be, according to him, the tenth in Jerusalem, and the fifth to be announced since he took office in November 2024.

Sa'ar claimed that Jerusalem is 'the capital of Israel,' and said his ministry would provide the necessary support for the opening of the embassy 'as soon as possible.'

The Palestinian leadership adheres to East Jerusalem as the capital of the state, based on international legitimacy resolutions, which do not recognize Israel's occupation of the city in 1967, nor its annexation in 1980.

Currently in Jerusalem there are embassies of the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji, in addition to the so-called breakaway region of 'Somaliland,' which is not internationally recognized.

While the vast majority of countries in the world refuse to move their embassies to the city, in compliance with UN resolutions that consider the status of Jerusalem as an issue of final settlement.