The International Court of Justice said on Friday it has received a complaint from the "State of Palestine" against the United States, which argues that the placement of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem violates an international treaty and it should be removed.
The court, known as the World Court, is the United Nations' venue for resolving disputes between nations.
It issued a statement saying the Palestinians were arguing that the 1961 Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations requires a country to locate its embassy on the territory of a host state.
The Palestinians have asked the court "to order the United States of America to withdraw [its] diplomatic mission from the Holy City of Jerusalem."
Israel reunited west and east Jerusalem after the 1967 Six-Day War, but its sovereignty over east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as the capital of their future state, remains internationally disputed.
In December, U.S. President Donald Trump broke with decades of policy and recognized the united city as the Israeli capital, and said the U.S. Embassy would relocate from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which it did in May.
Palestine was recognized by the U.N. General Assembly in 2012 as a non-member observer state. Its statehood is not recognized by either Israel or the United States.
Cases at the ICJ can take years to complete. Its decisions are final and legally binding but are not always adhered to. No date was immediately set for hearings.
