Pretoria – South Africa has joined several countries in condemning and rejecting Colombia’s inauguration of its embassy in Jerusalem.
The move contravenes United Nations Security Council resolutions and undermines international efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace based on the two-State solution.
Foreign Ministers who have taken a similar stance to South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) include those from:
- the Arab Republic of Egypt,
- the State of Palestine,
- the Republic of Turkey,
- the Republic of Djibouti,
- the Republic of Lebanon,
- the State of Libya,
- the Republic of Yemen,
- the State of Qatar,
- the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,
- the Federal Republic of Somalia,
- Malaysia, the Republic of Indonesia,
- the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
- the State of Kuwait,
- the Democratic People’s Republic of Algeria,
- the Sultanate of Oman, the Syrian Arab Republic,
- the Republic of Sudan,
- the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
The ministers said they “strongly condemn and express their unequivocal rejection of the inauguration by the Republic of Colombia of its embassy in Jerusalem”.
In a statement made available to The Bulrushes on Friday, 16 October 2026, DIRCO said: “The Ministers reaffirm that any measure or decision intended to alter the legal or historical status of occupied Jerusalem, or to recognise it as Israel’s capital, is null and void and has no legal effect.
“This position is consistent with relevant United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, particularly Security Council Resolutions 476 (1980) and 478 (1980), which reject attempts to change Jerusalem’s character or status and call on States to withdraw diplomatic missions from the city, which is part of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967.
“The Ministers call upon the Colombian Government to reconsider and reverse this decision, uphold its obligations under international law, and refrain from measures that prejudice the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to an independent and sovereign Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
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