CAIRO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League condemned on Thursday Brazil for opening a trade office in the disputed city of Jerusalem.
This move violates international law and the resolution of the international legitimacy related to the legal status of Jerusalem, the Arab League said in a statement after an extraordinary meeting in Cairo at the level of permanent representatives.
"This unilateral and unlawful action" is a bias toward Israel and supports Israel's "illegal policies aimed at controlling the occupied East Jerusalem," the pan-Arab organization added.
The Arab League also warned that necessary practical political, diplomatic and economic measures will be taken against decisions made by any country that would harm the legal status of Jerusalem.
On Sunday, Brazil opened a trade office in Jerusalem and announced its intention to relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem next year.
Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war, and annexed it afterward, claiming it part of its indivisible capital, while the Palestinians view East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
Most of the international community also views East Jerusalem as an occupied Palestinian territory.
In December 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocated the U.S. embassy to the city in May of 2018, a move that sparked waves of violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
