ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and 17 other countries on Friday condemned Colombia’s opening of an embassy in Jerusalem, calling for the decision to be reversed and warning that it undermined efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state.

Colombia inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, becoming the 10th country to establish a diplomatic mission in the city, according to Israel. The move marks a major foreign policy reversal under President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office in August.

His predecessor, Gustavo Petro, severed diplomatic relations with Israel in 2024 over its military campaign in Gaza. The new administration restored ties in August and has since revived a free trade agreement, deepening a rapprochement that has drawn criticism from supporters of Palestinian statehood.

“The Ministers reaffirm that any measure or decision intended to alter the legal or historical status of occupied Jerusalem, or to recognize it as Israel’s capital, is null and void and has no legal effect,” the foreign ministers said in a joint statement released by Pakistan’s foreign ministry.

The statement was endorsed by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Yemen and Türkiye.

Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has consistently supported the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The statement said Colombia’s decision contravened UN Security Council resolutions and undermined international efforts toward a negotiated two-state solution.

Jerusalem’s status is among the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel considers the entire city its capital, while Palestinians seek East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, as the capital of a future independent state.

Most countries maintain their embassies to Israel in Tel Aviv, reflecting the longstanding international position that Jerusalem’s final status should be determined through negotiations.

The foreign ministers cited UN Security Council Resolutions 476 and 478, adopted in 1980, which rejected Israeli measures to alter the city’s status and called on countries to withdraw diplomatic missions from Jerusalem.

They urged Colombia to “reconsider and reverse this decision,” respect its obligations under international law and avoid actions that prejudice Palestinian rights, including the establishment of an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.