TIRANA, May 14 – The Palestinian Embassy to Tirana called on the Albanian government not to join the opening ceremony of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, so far headed by at least 37 dead Palestinians and more than 1,300 wounded by Israeli troops in clashes on the Gaza border according to international media.
The Palestinian Embassy has blamed “Israeli violation and arrogance officially backed by the United States” for the events unfolding in Gaza.
According to the official statement issued by the Palestinian Embassy, the Israeli right-wing government is using every chance to continue what it called the “hebrewization” process of occupied Jerusalem.
“At the same time,” the statement said, “we consider President Trump’s declaration on Jerusalem, as well as his decision to transfer the US Embassy to occupied Jerusalem, as an unstoppable aggression towards our people and rights.”
The violence comes as a direct result of the US Embassy opening in Jerusalem, which has angered Palestinians in large, as they see this as the US backing Israel’s rule over the whole city.
In Albania, Trump’s recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and following opening of the US Embassy there caused debate as Albania joined 128 other UN member states at the UN General Assembly in approving a resolution rejecting the U.S. decision.
Although the vote was a departure from Albania’s previous UN votes, which have always been aligned with the US, experts at the at the Albanian Institute for International Studies said the vote marked one of the best moments of Albanian diplomacy in the past four or five years, showing a positive and independent thinking in international affairs.
Top US officials, including President Donald Trump’s daughter and husband, are attending the opening, scheduled to take place Monday.
Meanwhile, local media reported Gaza’s Islamist rules, Hamas, have led mass protests that frequently turned violent over the past weeks.
The embassy’s statement also noted the ceremony is taking place at a time the Palestinian people commemorates the 1948 Nakba, or Catastrophe, when more than 700.000 Palestinians fled their homes following the foundation of the Israeli state.
According to the BBC, President Trump is expected to address those attending Monday’s event via video link. In a tweet, he said it was “a great day for Israel”.
