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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Ayman Safadi, Thursday, said that the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital was a political move that does not establish a right nor change the legal status of the holy city.

Referring to UN state members vote on the decision, he said only 9 states out of 193 voted against motion, mirroring a resounding rejection of the U.S decision. The top diplomat was speaking at an Arab ministerial meeting of the Arab League in Cairo to discuss the grave ramification of the U.S. decision.

"We gather here today to deliberate over the U.S. decision and to discuss ways to contain its consequences", Safadi told the high-level gathering.

"We reached out to all decision-making capitals in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, Australia, the U.S. administration, UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states to communicate the Arab position on this issue", he said.

The decision, he pointed out, would not change the legal status of the holy city and that Israel's unilateral measures to obliterate the Arab and Islamic identity of Jerusalem were null and void.

The global community stood up for the right, the minister said, pointing out that only 9 UN member states voted against the international consensus on Jerusalem, a move that indicates Jerusalem is a final status issue.

Supporting Jerusalem requires helping its people, he added, urging further assistance to the Palestinians.

In this context, the minister sounded the alarm to the shortage in funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to enable it continue its duty towards a "child refugee right's to school, medicine and a decent life".

UNRWA, Safadi said, is a political message which shows that the historical injustice perpetrated against refugees should come to an end by solving their cause, ensuring their right to return to their country, as well as compensation within a comprehensive settlement to the conflict on the basis of the UN General Assembly Resolution 194 and in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative.

The minister made it clear that the Arab countries would maintain their firm stance that East Jerusalem must be the capital of Palestine and the only way for settlement because "we strive for lasting and comprehensive peace the region's peoples accept."