Srinagar: The people of all hues cutting across ideological lines condemned the US President Donald Trump’s announcement of declaring his country’s recognition to Jerusalem as capital of Israel
Farooq Abdullah
While condemning the US move on Jerusalem, National Conference President and Member of Parliament Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said India is obligated to oppose the move “strongly and unambiguously”.
India has so far declined to comment on the US move to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying its position on Palestine “is independent and consistent”.
Abdullah said the US move was unfair, unjust and oblivious to historical facts and also to the goal of reconciliation and peace in the Middle East.
In a statement issued from National Conference Headquarters, ‘Nawa-e-Subha’ in Srinagar, Abdullah said the move has hurt the sentiments of Muslims all over the world and made the goals of cooperation and stability farther and harder to achieve.
“This announcement by the United States President is in contradiction to history and the sentiments of millions of Muslims across the world, including India. At a time when the world is grappling with instability and hostility, especially in the Middle East, an arbitrary announcement of this nature is fraught with the risk of alienating people and adding to the widespread sense of injustice”, he said.
The National Conference President, while strongly condemning the arbitrary announcement, said the global community is obligated to deliver justice to the people of Palestine and no responsible power should take any steps that would hurt sentiments centered around historical disputes and injustices.
The Government of India is also obligated to strongly and unambiguously oppose this move in line with the country’s historical foreign policy stand that is committed to the people of Palestine in their quest for justice and peaceful existence and is also pivoted on the policy of non-alignment and objectivity, he said.
“The condemnation from the Central Government should be unequivocal and we should take a stand in consonance with our values and our place in the comity of nations,” he said.
“India has traditionally and consistently supported the cause of the Palestinian people, and our Foreign Policy has always noted East Jerusalem as the capital of an Independent Palestinian State. A failure of the Modi Government to strongly reiterate this commitment and stand would be a great disservice to our country’s independent foreign policy goals and our commitments at the global stage”, the National Conference President said.
Omar Abdullah
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said there was a time when the Trump administration move would have provoked a strong condemnation from India.
He took to Twitter to express his views while reacting to Government of India’s response to US move of recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. “There was a time when the Trump Administration move to overturn decades of US policy WRT #Jersualem would have provoked a strong condemnation from India,” Omar wrote on micro-blogging website Twitter.
Omar, who is the working president of National Conference, said now all you get is some washy drivel about India’s position determined by ”our self-interest and not what other countries do”. “There was a time India stood for something,” he added. India has so far declined to comment on the US move to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying its position on Palestine “is independent and consistent”.
Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq
Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Thursday asked the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) to take strong note of the US president Donald Trump’s move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
In a tweet, Mirwaiz said that the people of Kashmir strongly denounce the US President’s move to announce Al Quds Al Sharief (Jerusalem) as the so-called capital of Israel.
“We urge the UN to take action in accordance with UN charter. OIC should take strong note and act unitedly against this anti Muslim move,” he tweeted.
Trump on Wednesday formally recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in the face of international criticism while asserting that he was “not taking a position of any final status” of the ancient city that is claimed by both Israel and Palestine.
Trump invoked a 1995 law passed by US Congress calling for moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, to justify fulfilling his campaign promise.
While nations and leaders, from China to Pope Francis criticised Trump’s decision and even US allies have refused to follow Washington’s lead on moving embassies to Jerusalem, there was no noticeable political opposition in the US from even the Democrats.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking immediately after Trump’s announcement, delivered criticism couched in diplomatic terms, saying he was “against any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians.”
