Nabil Shaath (l) and Ahmad Tibi (r) briefing reporters in Jerusalem with the location of the US embassy in the background. (Photo courtesy of PLO-NAD)

JERUSALEM, May 9, 2018 (WAFA) - Nabil Shaath, advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas for foreign affairs, Wednesday urged world governments and international organizations to boycott the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem.

Shaath told reporters during a tour in Jerusalem organized by the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Negotiations Affairs Department prior to the opening of the US embassy planned for May 14 that the US administration is cooperating with Israel in sustaining its occupation, particularly its colonial settler regime, and systematic denial of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

“Moving the embassy is illegal and a violation of United Nations resolutions and international law and is tacit recognition of Israel’s annexation of Jerusalem,” he said, adding that “most countries have rejected this illegal American step, which proves that the only solution for the Palestinian issue must be based on international law and UN resolutions through establishing the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

Meanwhile, Palestinian-Israeli lawmaker, Ahmad Tibi, who also participated in the tour that included a visit to the site where the US embassy is supposed to be located at, stressed that “Jerusalem is occupied territory under international law and the lie of ‘unified Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel’ will never materialize regardless of the imbalance in power.”

He said “the US administration has embraced the narrative of the occupation and the views of the extreme right wing, while it attempts to erase the Palestinian national identity.”

He warned against the consequences of the illegal US move, stating that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “are partners in the illegal annexation (of Jerusalem) and in killing the two-state solution.”

T.R./M.K.