US President Donald Trump has decided to withdraw from the optional protocol and dispute resolution to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, in connection to a case challenging the transfer of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, US national security adviser John Bolton said, Wednesday.
“This is in connection with a case brought by the so-called state of Palestine, naming the United States as the defendant, challenging our move of our embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” Bolton said, , according to the PNN..
“I would like to stress that the United States remains a party to the Vienna Basic Treaty on Diplomatic Relations and we expect all parties to respect their international obligations under the Treaty.”
In December, US President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and ordered the transfer of his country’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and opened the new embassy in May.
The Palestinian ministry of Foreign Affairs commented by saying the announcement reaffirms the administration’s disdain towards international law and the rules-based international order.
“This administration is willfully disrupting and undermining the international order because of its blind support to Israel’s illegal colonial policies, thus advancing this hostile agenda at the expense of global cooperation and protecting the standing and influence of international norms,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The State of Palestine exercised its right to defend itself through legal means by resorting to the International Court of Justice on the issue of the illegal US embassy move to our capital, Jerusalem,” statement added.
“This step was based on the compulsory jurisdiction of Court, as stipulated in Article I of the Additional Protocol. The decision of the US administration to pull out of the Additional Protocol reaffirms its rejection of accountability and determination to be above the law, using false pretexts of politicization and recklessly attacking the credibility the world’s most prestigious courts. This move also reconfirms worldwide fears about its hostile and isolationist attitude, which threaten the international order with yet more disruption.”
The Palestinian leadership said it will continue to defend our people’s rights against all threats posed by Israel’s illegal colonial policies and States that support and adopt them.
“We will do so in line with international law and using available international conflict-resolution mechanisms. Our actions are anchored in our commitment to and respect for international law and existing international mechanisms. It is also based on our conviction that no one person or country is above the law and that accountability is a cornerstone of ensuring and protecting international peace and security. It is now rather obvious that the current US administration believes it is above the law and beyond the reach of accountability. This reckless attitude is a challenge to the international order; one that Palestine and the rest of the international community must face with clarity of vision and determination,” it concluded.
