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OIC condemns Brazil for opening trade office in Jerusalem

OIC condemns Brazil for opening trade office in Jerusalem
Brazilian Federal Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro speaks during the opening ceremony of the Brazilian Ministry Trade And Investment Promotion Agency in Jerusalem on December 15, 2019. (AFP)
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Updated 21 December 2019

OIC condemns Brazil for opening trade office in Jerusalem

OIC condemns Brazil for opening trade office in Jerusalem
  • The OIC expressed its “deep regret” that Brazil had changed its foreign policy toward Palestinians
  • The Arab League also condemned Brazil’s decision on Thursday

RIYADH: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Saturday condemned Brazil’s opening of a trade office in Jerusalem, warning the move would “damage” relations between Brazil and OIC member countries.
The OIC also expressed its “deep regret” that Brazil had changed its foreign policy toward Palestinians and called on its government to reverse the decision as it supports “illegal Israeli policies aimed at encroaching the legal and historic status of the occupied city of Jerusalem.”
The Arab League also condemned Brazil’s decision on Thursday and said that the opening of the trade office will “seriously damage” Brazil’s political and economic interests in the Arab world.
At an emergency meeting convened in Cairo, representatives from Ƶ, Kuwait and Iraq, among other states, criticized Brazil’s move as a violation of international law and voiced their continued support for Palestinian claims to the divided city.
In a statement, the council said that such a “negative change in Brazilian foreign policy toward Palestinians would seriously damage Arab-Brazilian shared political, economic and diplomatic interests,” though did not offer specifics.