Saudi envoy says US decision on Jerusalem 'not healthy'

By Nazli Yuzbasioglu and Zuhal Demirci

ANKARA (AA) - The U.S. move on locating its embassy to Jerusalem is "not a healthy decision", said Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Ankara.

Speaking at "Turkey-Saudi Arabia Media Meeting" in capital Ankara on Wednesday, Walid Bin Abdul Karim El Khereiji said the Kingdom has always stood with Palestine.

"We all saw that there are lots of variables in the region. Especially, viewing it from an international relations aspect, there are changes in the U.S. politics as well.

"Likewise, the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by the U.S. was never a healthy decision. It was condemned by all other Muslim countries. Every country that abides with the international resolutions stood against this [decision]."

The Saudi envoy added that the decisions taken at last Friday's extraordinary Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was "very important".

The panel was organized by the Directorate General of Press and Information (BYEGM).

Israeli gunfire during protests in Gaza Strip on May 14 left 65 Palestinians martyred and thousands injured.

The protests in Gaza coincided with Israel's 70th anniversary - an event Palestinians refer to as Nakba or the "Catastrophe" - and the relocation of the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

U.S. President Donald Trump had sparked an international outcry last December when he unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and vowed to relocate Washington’s embassy to the city.

Since the mass Gaza rallies began on March 30, more than 100 Palestinian protesters have been martyred by Israeli army gunfire.

The OIC's extraordinary summit decisions in Istanbul included rejecting U.S. embassy's relocation to Jerusalem, as well as displaying solidarity with Palestinian people.