Jakarta (ANTARA News) - At a meeting with Indonesian ambassador to Jordan and Palestine Teguh Wardoyo at the Presidential Office in Ramallah on Sunday (Jan 15), Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Maliki said the Palestinian government has set 2017 for the end of Israeli occupation and colonialism over the country.
A statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Amman, received by ANTARA here on Tuesday, said the establishment of this year is based upon various diplomatic efforts and tracks that have been carried out by Palestine on different occasions and at international forums.
Minister Maliki said that the Zionist occupation over Palestine has brought suffering to the people.
Nevertheless, the minister added, the spirit to achieve independence from the Israeli occupation is not easy work.
The minister said US foreign policy under the Donald Trump administration, after his inauguration on January 20, is worrisome for the Palestinians, as Trump plans to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
According to the minister, the Palestinians could not accept this because Jerusalem is still occupied by Israel. Moving the US embassy to Jerusalem has special meaning, as it conveys that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, he said.
In addition, moving the US Embassy will destroy all efforts that have been made through negotiations. The minister added that Jerusalem is a holy city, not only for Muslims, but also for Christians and Jews.
It is irresponsible, and the international community must take action, to protect what has been achieved, Minister Maliki asserted.
He noted that Trump will invite Israeli Prime Minister to the inauguration ceremony, something that is strongly opposed to by the Palestinians.
Regarding moving the embassy, the Palestinian government proposed the convening of an urgent summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Arab League, the United Nations and the five state veto holders to mobilize the international community to oppose the plan.
The Palestinian government has sent a letter to OIC Secretary General and the Foreign Minister of Malaysia, who has organized a summit on Rohingya in Kuala Lumpur on January 19, 2017, to raise the issue of the embassy at the conference.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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