Committee International Court of Justice

Issue Relocation of the United States Embassy to Jerusalem

Name Shraddha Puri, Philip Ezekiel Tan

Position President, Deputy President

Introduction
Donald Trump, the President of the US, decided to move the US embassy in Israel,
from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. His decision was in order in May, but he had not met certain
criteria for the eligibility of this decision, as a result, a case was filed against the US by
Palestine, requesting the court to order the USA to withdraw its diplomatic mission from
Jerusalem and to have it located at Tel Aviv.
This matter is extremely important for Palestine because following USA’s Embassy’s
relocation, certain countries did the same thing, possibly creating an impression that all
of Jerusalem is a part of Israel.

Definition of Key Terms

 Term Definition

Vienna Convention on Diplomatic An International treaty that defined a

Relations framework between independent nations

Sovereignty The full right and power of a governing body

over itself

Jerusalem A city in the middle-east that is occupied by

both Israel and Palestine

ICJ Order An authoritative command, direction or

instruction

Consulate General A small diplomatic office of a country in

another country.

Background Information
The US embassy was initially located in Tel Aviv. It was relocated to Jerusalem by the
Donald Trump Administration. It had been previously stated that moving the US
embassy to Jerusalem is similar to saying that the States considers Israeli sovereignty
over the land. Trump had to sign an order stating that he has a permanent residence in
Jerusalem; a condition that was not fulfilled, yet the decision was made.
As a result, violent protests were held on the opening day of the embassy, in which
more than fifty-seven Palestinians were killed at the Gaza border.
Palestine filed a case against the United States for this decision, accusing them of
breaching the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and certain other rules as
Jerusalem has the “special status.” Also,the US’s consulate general in Jerusalem that
covered Palestinian affairs, merged with the US Embassy.

Major Countries and Organisations Involved

United States of America
A country in North America that has high political effects on other countries. The
President of the USA decided to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

Palestine
A de jure sovereign state in Western Asia. Shares its capital (Jerusalem) with Israel.

Israel
A middle-eastern country, capital: Jerusalem.

International Court of Justice

The principal judicial organ of the UNO. Its primary function is to settle international
disputes.

Timeline of Events

Date of Event Description of Event

 14 May, 2018 The embassy was opened in Jerusalem

4 June, 2018 Trump signed the executive order,

postponing the relocation of the embassy to
Jerusalem

28 September, 2018 Palestine brought a case against the USA

October 18, 2018 Announcement: merging the US consulate

general and the embassy

Solutions (Past and Possible)

- The resolutions of the Security Council state that the status of the disputed
territories should not be changed unilaterally.
- The embassies of different countries in Israel, should only be in the Israeli-part of
the country and Palestine should be given assurance that the relocation of
embassies would not affect Palesine’s political status.

Resources for further Reading

● https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/176
○ All the necessary press releases and orders regarding this case have
been provided in this source.
 ● https://www.un.org/unispal/document/relocation-of-us-embassy-to-jerusale
m-palestine-vs-us-icj-order/
○ The order of the International Court of Justice on the relocation of US
Embassy to Jerusalem (Palestine vs. US)

Bibliography

1. “Embassy of the United States, Jerusalem.” ​Wikipedia​, Wikimedia Foundation,

14 Aug. 2019,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embassy_of_the_United_States,_Jerusalem.

2. “Relocation of US Embassy to Jerusalem (Palestine vs. US) - ICJ Order -

Question of Palestine.” ​United Nations,​ United Nations,

https://www.un.org/unispal/document/relocation-of-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-pale

stine-vs-us-icj-order/.

3. “World Court: Palestine Files Complaint over U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.”

Reuters​, Thomson Reuters, 28 Sept. 2018,

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-usa-worldcourt/world-court-palesti

ne-files-complaint-over-u-s-embassy-in-jerusalem-idUSKCN1M82SL.