Parliament Resolution: Government Obligated to Support Jerusalem as the Capital of 'Palestine'

Members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly mandated the government to support Jerusalem/Al-Quds as what they termed the 'eternal capital of Palestine.' In a public session on Wednesday (December 27), the representatives approved the generalities of a proposal to add a clause to Article 1 of the law supporting the 'Islamic Revolution of the Palestinian people' with 198 votes in favor and one abstention out of 226 present representatives. Reports from Iranian media indicate that the parliament also approved the details of this proposal, which includes a clause stating that the government 'is obligated to support Al-Quds as the eternal capital of Palestine.' According to the IRNA news agency, after voting on this proposal, parliament members chanted 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel.' Earlier this week, the Islamic Consultative Assembly approved the urgency of the proposal to add a clause to Article 1 of the law 'Supporting the Islamic Revolution of the Palestinian People.' Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also called on the government to neutralize what he referred to as the 'plot of the U.S. President' by supporting Al-Quds as the capital of Palestine. Larijani described the decision to transfer the U.S. embassy and those of several other countries to Al-Quds as a 'plot designed by the U.S. President and part of a weak reconciliation process and another step to harm the dignity of Palestinians and Muslims.' The U.S. President announced on December 6 during a speech that Washington recognizes Jerusalem/Al-Quds as the capital of Israel and promised to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to this city. This action occurred despite opposition from several U.S. allies in Asia and Europe. The Israeli government welcomed this speech and decision, with the Israeli ambassador to the UN stating that it is the right of every country to 'determine its own capital.' Most countries around the world do not recognize Israel's territorial sovereignty over the entire city of Jerusalem/Al-Quds. Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has controlled the western part of Jerusalem, and the eastern part of Al-Quds was taken from Jordan during the 1967 war and came under Israeli occupation. Following Trump's decision, the UN Security Council held a meeting to vote on a resolution opposing this decision. Except for the U.S., 14 other members of the Security Council voted 'yes' on this resolution, which was vetoed by the United States. In addition to the U.S., countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, Togo, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau have also announced that they will move their embassies in Israel to the city of Al-Quds. Officials of the Islamic Republic have strongly criticized this U.S. action. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, called for opposition to the U.S. President's decision at an OIC meeting in Istanbul and urged action at the UN Security Council level. Yahya Sinwar, the internal leader of Hamas in the Palestinian territories, also stated that Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC, recently told him in a phone conversation that 'all resources are at Hamas's disposal in the battle to defend Al-Quds.'