Fatah: US embassy move "will open the gates of hell"
Headline: “Fatah: Transferring the American embassy to Jerusalem will open the gates of hell”
“The Fatah Movement said that if the American embassy is transferred to East Jerusalem (a Jerusalem location for the embassy has not yet been specified –Ed.), the gates of hell will open in the region and in the world. It added that this will prevent any chance of peace and stability in the region.
Fatah Revolutionary Council member and spokesman Osama Al-Qawasmi emphasized on Saturday evening [Jan. 14, 2017] in a press statement that East Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state according to the law, the international institutions, and the UN resolutions regarding our issue, the last of which was [UN Security Council] Resolution 2334.
Al-Qawasmi emphasized that Fatah, the Palestinian people, and all free people in the world will not allow this step to pass. [He added that it] ‘harms our history, our religion, our cultural heritage, and our legal right to our land and to our holy sites,’ and that ‘We will defend our Jerusalem and our land, no matter how many sacrifices will be required.’”
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UN Security Council Resolution 2334 was passed on Dec. 23, 2016, by a vote of 14-0 with one abstention.
The resolution condemned the establishment of Israeli "settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem," saying it "has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace." It demanded that Israel “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities” in the area. The resolution further said “it will not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines” other than changes made through negotiations, in reference to the 1949-1967 ceasefire line between Israel and the neighboring Arab countries following Israel's 1948 War of Independence.
The resolution called “upon all States… to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.” It also called "to prevent all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as acts of provocation and destruction... and to clearly condemn all acts of terrorism," and noted the obligation of "the Palestinian Authority Security Forces to maintain effective operations aimed at confronting all those engaged in terror and dismantling terrorist capabilities."
The US abstained instead of vetoing the resolution, in a breach of longstanding US policy of not allowing the UN to force conditions on Israel in place of direct negotiations. This policy change came during US President Barack Obama’s final weeks in office.
Extra info: http://www.un.org/webcast/pdfs/SRES2334-2016.pdf
“The Fatah Movement said that if the American embassy is transferred to East Jerusalem (a Jerusalem location for the embassy has not yet been specified –Ed.), the gates of hell will open in the region and in the world. It added that this will prevent any chance of peace and stability in the region.
Fatah Revolutionary Council member and spokesman Osama Al-Qawasmi emphasized on Saturday evening [Jan. 14, 2017] in a press statement that East Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state according to the law, the international institutions, and the UN resolutions regarding our issue, the last of which was [UN Security Council] Resolution 2334.
Al-Qawasmi emphasized that Fatah, the Palestinian people, and all free people in the world will not allow this step to pass. [He added that it] ‘harms our history, our religion, our cultural heritage, and our legal right to our land and to our holy sites,’ and that ‘We will defend our Jerusalem and our land, no matter how many sacrifices will be required.’”
Click to view bulletin
UN Security Council Resolution 2334 was passed on Dec. 23, 2016, by a vote of 14-0 with one abstention.
The resolution condemned the establishment of Israeli "settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem," saying it "has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace." It demanded that Israel “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities” in the area. The resolution further said “it will not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines” other than changes made through negotiations, in reference to the 1949-1967 ceasefire line between Israel and the neighboring Arab countries following Israel's 1948 War of Independence.
The resolution called “upon all States… to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.” It also called "to prevent all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as acts of provocation and destruction... and to clearly condemn all acts of terrorism," and noted the obligation of "the Palestinian Authority Security Forces to maintain effective operations aimed at confronting all those engaged in terror and dismantling terrorist capabilities."
The US abstained instead of vetoing the resolution, in a breach of longstanding US policy of not allowing the UN to force conditions on Israel in place of direct negotiations. This policy change came during US President Barack Obama’s final weeks in office.
Extra info: http://www.un.org/webcast/pdfs/SRES2334-2016.pdf
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