RAMALLAH, PALESTINE (May 31, 2017) -- Commenting on the joint Israeli Knesset and U.S. Congress event to take place on June 6 to mark fifty years since the “reunification of Jerusalem,” PLO Executive Committee Member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi strongly condemned such an unprecedented and dangerous move and said:

“It is an irrefutable fact that Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem is illegal and in direct contravention of international law, signed agreements and terms of reference of the peace process.  No member of the international community, including the United States, recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel or condones Israel’s illegal expropriation of Palestinian land and its unlawful settlement enterprise. 

By undertaking such provocative measures, the United States Congress is singularly contravening longstanding American policy and becoming party to Israel’s egregious violation of international law and international humanitarian law.  

This event also means that the U.S. Congress is becoming complicit in Israel’s criminality; what compounds the crime is the fact that lawmakers are supposed to respect the law and legislate in accordance with a global system of justice and human rights. 

The adoption of the “two-state solution” on the 1967 boundaries by the international community is a clear rejection of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza and an affirmation of the Palestinian right to freedom and sovereignty.  By going against this consensus, members of the U.S. Congress are jeopardizing American standing, credibility and interests globally. 

If the U.S. wants to play a constructive role as a peacemaker rather than as a supporter of an illegal occupation, it must demonstrate respect for the law and recognition of equal rights for all peoples, foremost the Palestinian right to self-determination and freedom.”