RAMALLAH, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat said Wednesday that the declarations by Guatemala and Paraguay to move their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem later this month are "a breach of international law."
Erekat sent identical letters to diplomats and representatives of world governments in Palestine reiterating his call to boycott the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem next week.
He said that the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital is "not only in violation of UNSC resolution 478 and the U.S. obligations under international law and towards the peace process, but also goes in line with Israeli strategy to normalize the occupation and end just peace horizons on the basis of the two-state solution on the borders on 1967."
He called for tangible steps to counter the U.S. move "including the recognition of the state of Palestine on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," and steps to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law.
He warned that participating in such a ceremony "is a recognition of this unilateral and unlawful step."
The top PLO official held the international community responsible for protecting principles of law enforcement, urging members of the diplomatic organizations not to take any step that would recognize the illegal step, and to "show the international community's solid commitment to the principles of international law and the UN resolutions."
Israel is getting ready to celebrate the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem in line with U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of the city as Israel's capital last December.
Guatemala was the first country to follow the U.S. move declaring its embassy to Jerusalem, followed by Paraguay last week.
