The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is urging the Government of the United States of America to refrain from recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel.
A Media release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday states that any such recognition would imperil the internationally-agreed Two-State Solution, destabilize the Middle East region, and invalidate the important role of the United States as an honest broker and driver of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
In 1980, in response to an Israeli attempt to declare Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel, the United Nations Security Council condemned that declaration as a violation of international law.
The Release expressed Saint Vincent and the Grenadines deep concern about any attempts to deviate from the settled parameters governing the delicate quest for peace between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine.
There can be no more destabilizing and potentially incendiary deviation than unilateral declarations concerning the status of Jerusalem.
The role of the United States as a valued facilitator and interlocutor would be irreparably compromised by any attempt to preempt the negotiating process by making unilateral pronouncements on final status issues.
While the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines applauds recent efforts by the United States of America to reinvigorate the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, we urge that such efforts focus on cessation of illegal Israeli settlement activity in Palestinian territory,[1] the removal of impediments to movement and commerce within the State of Palestine, and the fostering of an environment of trust and goodwill that can stimulate meaningful negotiations between the parties.
The decades of painstaking work, to say nothing of the lives lost in the conflict, demand mature, responsible and measured action. Accordingly, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines strongly urges the United States of America to acknowledge that any unilateral declaration on its part regarding the status of Jerusalem will not in any way advance the cause of a just, peaceful and lasting solution to the dispute between the peoples of Israel and Palestine.
