Arab League to hold emergency meeting on Jerusalem Thursday

Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 05:40:41|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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CAIRO, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The Cairo-based Arab League (AL) will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the situation of Jerusalem after the United States moved its embassy to Israel to the disputable holy city, official MENA news agency reported Tuesday.

The meeting has been called for by Saudi Arabia and it is expected to discuss possible ways to confront the recent U.S. relocation of its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, MENA quoted a diplomatic source as saying.

The meeting will be preceded by a preparatory meeting at the level of permanent representatives of Arab member states, according to the source.

Washington inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem Monday, amid protests of tens of thousands of Palestinians at the Israeli borders with the besieged Gaza Strip, which left at least 63 dead and around 2,800 wounded.

The Israeli aggression against unarmed Gazans has been met with regional and international outrage.

The protests coincided with the 70th anniversary of Israel's declaration of independence, one day before the Palestinian "Nakba (Catastrophe) Day," which marks the expulsion of some 750,000 Palestinians from their homes to become refugees in 1948.

Monday's victims raised the death toll of Palestinians to 112 since Palestinian protesters started their "Great March of Return" in late March to mark the 42nd anniversary of the "Land Day," demanding the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

The international community holds Israel responsible for the deadlock of the peace process with the Palestinians due to its settlement expansion policy on occupied Palestinian territories.

The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital city in the light of the UN-proposed two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders.

Israel is the regional number one ally of the United States, whose President Donald Trump has recognized the debatable city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital city despite regional and international outcry.

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