Muslim governments' verbal opposition to the relocation of the US Embassy to holy Quds should be accompanied by "practical measures" such as boycotts and official complaints to international tribunals, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said.
Muslim nations have expressed strong condemnation of US President Donald Trump' move to recognize Beit-ul-Moqaddas (Jerusalem) as Israel's capital and moving his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to the disputed city.
Larijani believes that “stronger support” is needed to defend the oppressed Palestinians. He made the remarks at an extraordinary meeting of the Palestine Committee of the Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union in Tehran on Monday, which was held to discuss the latest developments in the occupied territories, ISNA reported.
The United States was due to open its new embassy in al-Quds later on Monday amid widespread Palestinian anger and praise from Israelis, according to AFP.
United Stance
In his speech, Larijani said Muslim countries need to join ranks and take practical measures such as severing political relations with Israel and take their complaints to the International Court of Justice, the top UN legal body.
The silence of some Muslim governments over the US move and their efforts to normalize relations with Israel should also be criticized, he said, in an apparent reference to Saudi Arabia.
The oil kingdom and Israel still have no formal diplomatic relations, but behind the scenes rapprochement between the two has accelerated in recent years.
Saudi Arabia opened its airspace for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel earlier this year, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently said Israelis are entitled to live peacefully on their own land.
Decision-Making Crisis
The Majlis speaker said, "The US government is in the throes of a decision-making crisis and looks at the international arena immaturely."
"The US president is not capable of assessing the long-term consequences of his actions," Larijani added, noting that the provocations will certainly have consequences.
Dangerous Move
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the latest US measure as "very dangerous", criticizing Washington’s continued disregard for international law.
"It is indeed regrettable that violation of international laws has become a norm for the US government," Russian news agency TASS on Monday quoted Zarif as telling his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow.
Integral Part
In a statement issued two days ahead of Nakba Day—which marks the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the creation of Israel — the Foreign Ministry in Tehran said Beit-ul-Moqaddas is an "inseparable" part of Palestine.
The international community is expected to take the necessary measures to put an end to Israel atrocities against the Palestinians, Sunday's statement said.
