Palestines Hamas Slams Kosovos Decision To Open Embassy In Jerusalem - Spokesman - UrduPoint

Palestine's Hamas movement harshly condemned a decision by the partially-recognized Republic of Kosovo to open its diplomatic mission in the city of Jerusalem, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said on Monday.

On Sunday, the Kosovar Foreign Ministry announced the opening of the republic's embassy in Jerusalem after it established diplomatic ties with Israel on February 1 via the US mediation. The office opening has already been condemned by Turkey, as well as by the Arab League and Palestine.

"Hamas vehemently condemns the announcement by the foreign ministry of Kosovo about opening an embassy in occupied Jerusalem. ... This move is a blatant violation of all international resolutions and humanitarian treaties and reflects an appalling bias towards the Israeli occupation," Qassem said in a statement.

The decision was prompted by the recent steps on the normalization of ties taken by some Arab countries, the spokesman added, with a reference to the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, which earlier established ties with Israel.

Kosovo has become the world's third country and the first Muslim-majority one to open its mission in Jerusalem, after the United States and Guatemala. Kosovo and Israel agreed to normalize ties and establish diplomatic relations in early September under the US mediation.

In September 2017, the administration of former US President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and then relocated the Washington embassy there from Tel Aviv. The move sparked unrest across the entire middle East.