Israel reacted bitterly today to the United Nations Security Council resolution on Jerusalem which called for the removal of the 11 remaining embassies in the city, “categorically rejecting it” and by implication criticizing the United States for abstaining and thereby allowing it to be passed by a vote of 14-O. A statement by the Foreign Ministry vowed that the resolution would not affect Jerusalem’s status as Israel’s capital.
Israel, however, expected that some of the countries with embassies in Jerusalem would use the resolution as a basis for moving their embassies to Tel Aviv. In fact, Chile is expected to inform Israel officially here tomorrow of its intention to move its embassy, following the moves announced earlier by Venezuela, Uruguay and Ecuador.
However, the ambassadors of the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica said today that they had no indication from their governments of such intention on the part of their countries.
Ambassador Ronald Fernandez Pinto of Costa Rica said his government had considered the matter in the past and had come to the conclusion that the embassy will remain in Jerusalem. Ambassador Jose Villanueva of the Dominican Republic stated that the Security Council resolution would not automatically mean that the embassy would be moved to Tel Aviv. He said his government had not considered the matter in the past but indicated it probably would do so now. “After all, it’s the Security Council,” he said. The Netherlands, the only European country with on embassy in Jerusalem was meanwhile, continuing its deliberations on the future status of its embassy in Israel.
FOREIGN MINISTRY’S STATEMENT
The statement by the Foreign Ministry declared: “The unjust and unilateral resolution of the UN Security Council last night on the subject of Jerusalem furnishes additional proof that the UN organization has been converted into on instrument in the hands of Israel’s enemies in their war against her existence and independence.
“We are especially disappointed that very important free countries lent their hand to decisions which they themselves know have nothing in common with the true reality prevailing in Jerusalem. This resolution will encourage extremism, blackmail and incitement to war in international relations. Israel categorically rejects the resolution. It will not undermine the status of Jerusalem as the capital of a sovereign Israel and as a united city never again to be tom apart.”
The reference to “incitement to war.” was plainly directed at the recent call by Saudi Arabia for a “holy war” against Israel on the Jerusalem issue, a call that has been taken up by a number of other Arab countries, most recently Kuwait.
Labor Party leader Shimon Peres condemned the resolution and said the United States abstention was “especially serious” in view of the fact that it took this stand in the midst of a Presidential election campaign. Peres said he feared the resolution would influence the pending decision of Holland on whether to move its embassy out of Jerusalem.
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