Ramallah, August 29 (RHC)-- The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates says it will file a complaint at the United Nations against Honduras, after the Central American country recognized occupied Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital and announced plans to open a “diplomatic office” there this weekend.
The ministry, in a statement released on Thursday, confirmed it would submit a formal complaint against Honduras to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
It condemned Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez’s decision to inaugurate the diplomatic office in the disputed holy city as “direct aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights, and a flagrant violation of international law and resolutions.”
The Palestinian ministry further noted that it would ask Arab League member states to condemn the move, and push for punitive measures against Honduras for disregard of its obligations under Security Council resolutions, which condemn the recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital and slam the transfer of embassies from Tel Aviv to the holy city.
It added that Palestinian officials would also contact the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) General Secretariat for the same purpose, and demand a trade boycott action against Honduras.
Hernandez said in March that he would open a trade office in Jerusalem al-Quds, calling the city “the capital of Israel.” He said on August 27 that he will travel to Israel this weekend to inaugurate a diplomatic office as an extension of Tel Aviv-based embassy.
Meanwhile, Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), condemned the planned inauguration of a Honduran diplomatic mission in Jerusalem al-Quds, describing it as a “hostile act against the Palestinian nation and their inalienable rights.”
“This decision is a flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” she said. “It is also an affront to the principles of the UN Charter, which unequivocally reject the illegal acquisition of territory by force. Honduras has aligned itself with rogue states that disregard international law and willfully undermine its standing.”
Ashrawi said the Palestinian leadership would “reassess its relationship with Honduras.” She also called on member states of the Arab League and the OIC to “sever all diplomatic and commercial ties with Honduras due to its rogue conduct and unlawful decision.”
Ashrawi condemned the tiny Pacific Ocean island state of Nauru, which recently recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital. “Nauru is also violating its obligations under international law and the UN Charter, and must be held accountable for these violations,” she pointed out.
U.S. President Donald Trump sparked controversy by officially recognizing Jerusalem al-Quds as the Israeli capital in December 2017, before moving his country's embassy there from Tel Aviv in May 2018.
