CSO Statement: United States Government Shall Revoke the Statement on Jerusalem as the Capital City of Israel

CSO Statement: United States Government Shall Revoke the Statement on Jerusalem as the Capital City of Israel

 

The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) – a human rights non-governmental organization based in Jakarta, Indonesia – strongly regrets the statement by the President of United States, Donald Trump on December 7, 2017 related to recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In our point of view, this statement not only will trigger new conflict between Israel and Palestine that already on going in five decades, but also fueling the violent extremism across the world. The movement of US Embassy to Jerusalem has already become a phantom for the attempt of peace process that still on going for the two countries of Israel-Palestine.

It was proved right after Trump declared the recognition, the Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers clashed in Jerusalem, Ramallah and other places in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with some destruction to the US state symbols such as flags and posters of Trump. This declaration had threatened prolonged conflict within this endless conflict.

We acknowledge that Trump declaration also violated a number of the UN General Assembly Resolutions and the UN Security Council resolutions on occupied East Jerusalem. Lastly, the Security Council Resolution No. 2334 adopted in December last year that highlighted there will be no changes of recognition towards the June 4, 1967 lines, including to Jerusalem and other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations. Not only violating the global commitment to support a peace process for the conflict of Israel-Palestine, but it is also against with the commitment on the previous presidency in the US of Barrack Obama that changing the US policy by refusing to veto the anti-Israel measure that said the settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem was a fragrant violations of international law.

This abrupt movement by Trump already made not only the UN Security Council, but also the other UN member-states and global community trembling. Some movement in the UN needed to warn the US government revoke the declaration. Even though the movement is only to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, it is such a bold political move by a state towards a recognition that against with the global commitment and made a chaos in the peace process.

Upon the numerous and various human rights violations that already occurred within the conflict of Israel-Palestine, KontraS as the human rights organization strongly regrets this declaration by the US President, Donald Trump that could affect to more numbers of victims within the conflict. Thus, we would like to deliver several recommendations such as:

  1. The United States of America shall immediately revoke the declaration and cancel the plan to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem;
  2. President Donald Trump shall make a public statement that strongly committing to the peace process for Israel-Palestine and oblige to the UN Security Council resolution on Israel-Palestine conflict;
  3. The United Nations shall make an emergency meeting to discuss this abrupt and irresponsible movement by the US government that resulting a position statement for this defiant movement;
  4. To the government of Indonesia, as the pioneer for the peace settlement on Israel-Palestine conflict shall become the initiator to reject the US position within the global forums such as OIC and UN, and make a public statement as a respond to reject the US declaration on Jerusalem.

 

Jakarta, December 10, 2017

 

Yati Andriyani
Executive Coordinator