The Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union today decried Kosovo and Czech’s decision to open embassies to Israel in Jerusalem.

The Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (Arab IPU) condemned the Czech Republic’s official opening of a branch of its embassy to Israel, located in Tel Aviv, in Jerusalem, describing the move as representing the upholding and advancing individual interests over principles, values, and international law that govern relations between states and peoples.

Arab IPS affirmed that such behavior will not bring peace to the region, as Jerusalem remains a vital issue and ranks as the top final-status issue, whose fate should not be preempted through unilateral actions, as it called on the Czech Republic to reconsider its decision.

It recalled United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 478 (1980), which reaffirmed that Jerusalem is part of the Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967 and consequently prohibits establishing diplomatic missions in Jerusalem, and reminded the international community that its silence on such unilateral decisions expressly violates international consensus and helps perpetuate the Israeli occupation.

It reiterated upholding the two-state solution and standing by the Palestinian people until their inalienable rights are fully realized, especially the right to return and the right to establish their independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the pre-1967 borders.