Embassy of Palestine: We reject the inclusion of the Old City of Jerusalem in the program of Andrija Mandić's visit

SOURCE:ANTENA M- AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS

The Embassy of the State of Palestine in Montenegro announced that it expresses deep indignation and rejects the inclusion of the Old City of Jerusalem in the program of the visit of the President of the Parliament Andrija Mandić.

"East Jerusalem, including the Old City and its Christian and Muslim holy sites, is the capital of the State of Palestine, and the fact that it is militarily occupied and forcibly controlled by the Israeli army does not give it any legitimacy or right over the city," the statement said.

As they point out, international law, United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolutions, the common position of the European Union, as well as the official position of Montenegro, are clear in defining East Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian territory and refusing to recognize Israeli sovereignty over it.

"Any foreign official visit to East Jerusalem that is not coordinated with the Palestinian government encourages Israel to continue its blatant violations of international law, including ongoing war crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

Such a visit ignores the suffering of Palestinian Christians and Muslims, who in Jerusalem face an existential threat every day under Israeli oppression and violations of their rights, including the right to freedom of religion, and harms the prospects for a just peace," they said in a statement.

The Embassy of the State of Palestine in Montenegro reiterates its gratitude for the principled position of the Government of Montenegro, based on international law, regarding the right of the Palestinian people to live in peace and freedom in an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions.

They call on all Montenegrin officials to respect this position.

"The Embassy reaffirms its commitment to preserving and developing the excellent existing relations with the state of Montenegro and its people, based on friendship, mutual respect and shared universal human values," the statement concluded.