The Center of Mosque Studies - Rizwan Akhras referred to US President Donald Trump’s declaration of Quds (Jerusalem) as the Israeli capital as the beginning of a new phase of US-Zionist enmity with the Palestinian nation.
He said the enmity will not end there, stressing the need for adoption of strong, decisive and effective stances by Arab and Muslim countries and international circles in this regard.
Without naming any specific country, Akhras said certain Arab states had given the US the greenlight to go ahead with such a brazen move.
If proper and proportionate reactions are not shown to the move, there will be more such decisions by the US government, he warned.
He also underlined the responsibility of the Palestinian people to defend their rights and their motherland.
“We will thank anyone who stands by us on this path, and abandon anyone who abandons us.”
Trump officially declared the decision despite warnings from around the world that the measure risks triggering a fresh wave of violence in the Middle East.
In a speech at the White House on December 6, Trump said his administration would also begin a years-long process of moving the American embassy in Tel Aviv to the holy city.
The announcement was a major shift by Washington that overturns decades of US foreign policy.
Palestinian leaders had previously warned the move would threaten a two-state solution.
Israel has occupied East Quds since the 1967 Middle East war. It annexed the area in 1980 and sees it as its exclusive domain. Under international law, the area is considered to be occupied territory.
Elsewhere, asked about the Zionist regime’s continued settlement building in occupied territories, Rizwan said that given the differences, disputes and conflicts in the Muslim world, the Zionist regime sees no obstacle on the path to expand its occupation.
Tel Aviv is committed to no international law or treaty and brazenly announces its illegal decisions about occupied lands, he deplored.
Source: Iqna