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Italian court rules Jerusalem al-Quds cannot be Israel’s ‘capital’
The significant ruling by the Rome court is based on international legal principles and represents worldwide attempts to negotiate the Israeli-Palestinian dispute by taking an impartial position on the controversial matter of the city’s ownership.
Jerusalem al-Quds is a highly contested city globally due to its profound historical, cultural, and religious importance to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Ever since Israel proclaimed Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital in 1980 with the “Jerusalem Law,” there has been widespread international opposition to this unilateral decision. Many countries keep their embassies in Tel Aviv in order to remain neutral in the conflict, as Palestinians also demand East Jerusalem as the capital of their own state in the future.
The United Nations, with resolutions like UN Security Council Resolution 478, has clearly stated that Israel’s declaration is invalid, advising member countries against setting up diplomatic offices there.
The decision from the Italian court was a response to a legal case questioning the official acknowledgment of Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel. The court stated that acknowledging the city as Israel’s capital would go against international law and go against Italy’s promises to support peace and neutrality in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The court emphasized the significance of diplomacy and dialogue over unilateral declarations by not acknowledging Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of Israel.
The court’s decision implies disapproval of actions taken by countries like the United States, who acknowledged Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital in 2017 during the Donald Trump administration and later moved its embassy there.
More than 700,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
The international community views the settlements as illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions due to their construction on the occupied territories.
The choice made by Italy could strengthen the EU’s united position and confirm its importance as a crucial intermediary in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in Palestine, also reacted to the Italian court’s ruling and praised the “important” decision.
“Today it doesn’t rain, it pours. Important decision in the Italian justice system re the status of [al-Quds]: stop calling it the capital of Israel, it is not. And the judge’s motivation is really touching,” Albanese wrote in a post on her X social media account.