Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Abou El-Gheit condemned on Monday the opening of the Paraguay embassy in the occupied city of Jerusalem, stressing that this would "negatively impact" the South American country's relations with the Arab world, MENA reported. Abu El-Gheit said that the decision would inflame the situation in Palestine and damage opportunities for a fair settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. "The decision issued by the Council of the League of Arab States on 17 May clearly affirmed the intention of member states to take appropriate political and economic measures against countries that are willing to move their embassies to Jerusalem," said the secretary-general's spokesperson. The spokesman said that the decision to move embassies to Jerusalem is legally and morally reprehensible, and violates a clear international consensus and international laws on occupied Jerusalem and its legal and historical status. The statement called on the international community to take a stance against these decisions that will negatively affect relations with all Arab countries. Paraguay moved its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Monday; the third country to do so following the United States. Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended on Monday the inauguration ceremony. The United States relocated its embassy to Jerusalem a week ago, and was followed by Guatemala on Wednesday. In December, US President Donald Trump officially recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, breaking with decades of US policy and upsetting Arab and Western allies. Most countries do not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the entirety of Jerusalem, with their official position being that the city's final status should be settled in peace negotiations.
