RAMALLAH, Palestine 

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned the opening of Papua New Guinea's embassy in Jerusalem as an “aggression” and a “violation” of international law.  

In a statement, the ministry termed the embassy opening as "an aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights." It warned that the move would cause "great harm to the chances of achieving peace on the basis of a two-state solution."

On Tuesday, Papua New Guinea inaugurated its embassy to Israel in West Jerusalem, becoming the fifth country to maintain a diplomatic mission in the city.

In 2018, the US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a move that was followed by Honduras, Guatemala and Kosovo.

The Palestinian ministry said it will use all political, diplomatic and legal means to “pursue these countries over their unjustified aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights."

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the decades-long Middle East conflict, with Palestinians insisting that East Jerusalem – illegally occupied by Israel since 1967 – should serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar