Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel’s capital Sparks an outrage in the Muslim World | World Defense

Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel’s capital Sparks an outrage in the Muslim World

Hithchiker

MEMBER
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
605
Reactions
721 28 0
Country
Pakistan
Location
Saudi Arabia
https://www.dawn.com/news/1374819/t...s-hell-recognise-jerusalem-as-israels-capital
ASHINGTON: President Donald Trump told Arab leaders on Tuesday that he intends to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a decision that breaks with decades of US policy and risks fuelling further unrest in the Middle East.

Senior officials said Trump is likely to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on Wednesday while delaying relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv for another six months, though he is expected to order his aides to begin planning such a move immediately.

Washington’s endorsement of Israel’s claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital would reverse a long-standing policy that the city’s status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The international community does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, home to sites holy to Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, Jordan’s King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, who all received phone calls from Trump, joined a mounting chorus of voices warning that unilateral steps on Jerusalem would derail a fledgling US-led peace effort and unleash turmoil in the region.

At the same time, a senior Israeli minister appeared to welcome Trump’s decision on Jerusalem while vowing that Israel was preparing for any outbreak of violence.

Trump notified Abbas “of his intention to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem”, Abbas’s spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said.

Mahmud Abbas, in response, “warned of the dangerous consequences such a decision would have to the peace process and to the peace, security and stability of the region and of the world” and also appealed to the Pope and the leaders of Russia, France and Jordan to intervene.

The Jordanian monarch, whose dynasty is the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, told Trump that moving the embassy there would have “dangerous repercussions” for the region and would obstruct US efforts to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, according to a palace statement.

Jordan plans to convene an emergency meeting of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on Trump’s new Jerusalem policy, said Foreign Minister Ayman al Safadi.

President Sisi of Egypt cautioned Trump against “taking measures that would undermine the chances of peace” and complicate matters in the Middle East, a presidential statement released in Cairo said.

King Salman stressed to Trump that any US announcement on the status of Jerusalem “will hurt peace talks and increase tension in the region” and said it would inflame Muslim feelings all over the world, the Saudi Press Agency said.

None of the leaders’ statements said whether Trump specified the timing of an embassy move, a notion that successive Israeli governments have supported.

But US officials said Trump was expected to sign a national security waiver — as have his predecessors — keeping the embassy in Tel Aviv for another six months, but would commit to expediting a move. It was unclear, however, whether he would set a date.

Donald Trump, who promised during the presidential campaign to move the embassy to Jerusalem and is expected to announce his decision in a speech on Wednesday, appears intent on satisfying the pro-Israel, right-wing base that helped him win the presidency.

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, a move not recognised internationally.

‘A big mistake’
Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz, who met US officials last week in Washington, told Israel’s Army Radio: “My impression is that the president will recognise Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years, as the capital of the state of Israel.”

Asked if Israel was preparing for a wave of violence if Trump does so, he said: “We are preparing for every option. Anything like that can always erupt. If Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas) will lead it in that direction, then he will be making a big mistake.”

Turkey threatened on Tuesday to cut diplomatic ties with Israel if Trump recognises Jerusalem. “Mr Trump, Jerusalem is the red line for Muslims,” Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling party.

Senior officials said some officers in the State Department were also deeply concerned and the European Union, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League all warned that any such declaration would have repercussions across the region.

A US official said the consensus intelligence estimate on recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was that it would risk triggering a backlash against Israel, and also potentially against US interests in the Middle East.

It is also likely to upset an Israeli-Palestinian peace push led by Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, in pursuit of what the US president has called the “ultimate deal”. The initiative has made little progress.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2017
 

Scorpion

THINK TANK: SENIOR
Joined
Nov 27, 2014
Messages
3,868
Reactions
3,197 56 0
Country
Saudi Arabia
Location
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has expressed hope the United States would not recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and warned such a decision would have serious implications, state news agency SPA reported on Tuesday.

"The recognition will have very serious implications and will be provocative to all Muslims' feelings," SPA said quoting an unnamed official source at the Saudi Foreign Ministry.

"The United States administration should take into account the negative implications of such a move and the Kingdom's hope not to take such a decision as this will affect the US ability to continue its attempt of reaching a just solution for the Palestinian cause," the statement added.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador in Washington Prince Khalid bin Salman said any US announcement on the status of Jerusalem before a final settlement is reached in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would hurt the peace process and heighten regional tensions.

"The kingdom's policy - has been - and remains in support of the Palestinian people, and this has been communicated to the US administration," Prince Khalid said in a statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing whether to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital but has not yet made a decision, his son-in-law and envoy for Middle East peace Jared Kushner said on Sunday. A senior administration official said last week Trump could make such an announcement on Wednesday.

Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital. Palestinians want the eastern portion of it to be the capital of a future state. U.S. policy for decades has been to reserve judgment on both claims until the parties agree Jerusalem's status in a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

https://www.timesofmalta.com/articl...r-negative-implications-of-recognising.664930
 

Scorpion

THINK TANK: SENIOR
Joined
Nov 27, 2014
Messages
3,868
Reactions
3,197 56 0
Country
Saudi Arabia
Location
Saudi Arabia
Oops didn't see that just opened a thread about it. @khafee please take care of my recent thread on same subject.


@Topic: Trump is playing with fire. If he is going ahead with his plan then there will be implications for it. Saudi Arabia might lower diplomatic level and call for an urgent UN meeting, give a speech and then withdraw completely form the UN.
 

Hithchiker

MEMBER
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
605
Reactions
721 28 0
Country
Pakistan
Location
Saudi Arabia
Oops didn't see that just opened a thread about it. @khafee please take care of my recent thread on same subject.


@Topic: Trump is playing with fire. If he is going ahead with his plan then there will be implications for it. Saudi Arabia might lower diplomatic level and call for an urgent UN meeting, give a speech and then withdraw completely form the UN.
I believe US will officially toe the Israel line in doing so (though it does same as of now)...More than SA i believe it is join efforts that is needed...Though i believe KSA won't withdraw from UN ...If 40-50 countries collectively under OIC (Oh i See in present state)or Arab league withdraw then defiantly it will be awakening call to the UN and world will listen..
 

UAE

SENIOR MEMBER
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
1,641
Reactions
929 11 0
Country
USA
Location
United Arab Emirates
It is not going to help the peace process rather will increase the gap and raise tension in the region. This move is stupid if you ask me. Trump administration is going to risk it. There are about 65 Islamic countries that is going to take a strong measures and put pressure on the US. It is very straightforward and simple; Israel agreed to 76 boundaries agreement, withdraw from the occupied territories and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. Trump should holds to those agreements instead of making the situation even worse more that it is right now. (:-&
 

UAE

SENIOR MEMBER
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
1,641
Reactions
929 11 0
Country
USA
Location
United Arab Emirates
I believe US will officially toe the Israel line in doing so (though it does same as of now)...More than SA i believe it is join efforts that is needed...Though i believe KSA won't withdraw from UN ...If 40-50 countries collectively under OIC (Oh i See in present state)or Arab league withdraw then defiantly it will be awakening call to the UN and world will listen..

The Saudis might do it. They have threatens to do that before and If they did, many will follow suit.
 

Hithchiker

MEMBER
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
605
Reactions
721 28 0
Country
Pakistan
Location
Saudi Arabia
The Saudis might do it. They have threatens to do that before and If they did, many will follow suit.
Let see how it unfolds, i read Trump has to announced on Wednesday ...He already made calls to Jordanian and Saudi King while speaking to Abbas..Reaction can only be seen after announcement...until then we can speculate
 

Scorpion

THINK TANK: SENIOR
Joined
Nov 27, 2014
Messages
3,868
Reactions
3,197 56 0
Country
Saudi Arabia
Location
Saudi Arabia
Im burning inside, I can not wait to see what is going to happen.
 

Lieutenant

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 25, 2014
Messages
1,885
Reactions
2,410 25 0
Canada will not move embassy to Jerusalem, federal government says


A general view shows part of Jerusalem's Old City on Dec. 5, 2017.

AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS

MICHELLE ZILIO

OTTAWA

PUBLISHED 9 HOURS AGOUPDATED DECEMBER 5, 2017

The Trudeau government says it will not move the Canadian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem amid reports U.S. President Donald Trump will relocate the American embassy to the holy city and recognize it as the country's capital.

A government official told The Globe and Mail on Tuesday that Canada will keep its embassy in Tel Aviv. The official also said Canada still does not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital city, despite reports Mr. Trump will declare the U.S. does during a speech on Wednesday.

Mr. Trump told Arab leaders on Tuesday that he intends to follow through with his election-campaign promise to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Mr. Trump disappointed the pro-Israel, right-wing base that helped him win the presidency when he delayed the embassy move in June.

The move risks fuelling violence in the Middle East and breaks with decades of U.S. foreign policy that Jerusalem's status must be decided in negotiation with the Palestinians, who want to make East Jerusalem the capital of their future state.

The international community, including Canada, does not recognize Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War. Asked about Mr. Trump's plan to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada's position on Jerusalem has not changed.

"Canada's long-standing position is that the status of Jerusalem can be resolved only as part of a general settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute. This has been the policy of consecutive governments, both Liberal and Conservative," press secretary Adam Austen said in a statement Tuesday.

"We are strongly committed to the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, including the creation of a Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel."

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer's spokesperson Jake Enwright said "it's up to sovereign governments to make decisions about where they will locate their foreign embassies." In a tweet, NDP foreign affairs critic Hélène Laverdière said Mr. Trump's decision to name Jerusalem the capital is "dangerous, misguided, and will undermine attempts for a peace process," and urged Ms. Freeland to inform her U.S. counterparts of Canada's concerns.

Jerusalem is home to Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites, as well as Israel's democratically-elected parliament, independent supreme court and national government. David Cape, chair of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said the organization has long called on Canada to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

"Jerusalem has been central to Jewish identity since it was established as the capital of the Jewish nation three thousand years ago," Mr. Cape said.

"We have always maintained that Canada should formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."

Former prime minister Joe Clark attempted to move the Canadian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 1979, but abandoned his election pledge after an Arab uproar. In a brief statement at the time, Mr. Clark said the plan was seen as "prejudicing" Middle East peace talks. Mr. Clark's plan to move the embassy endangered contracts with Canadian businesses, including a multibillion-dollar project involving Bell Canada in Saudi Arabia, and threatened to bring more drastic retaliatory measures against Canada, according to a Washington Post report from October, 1979.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan's King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Arabia's King Salman, who all received phone calls from Mr. Trump, joined a chorus of voices warning that unilateral steps on Jerusalem would derail the U.S.-led peace effort and cause turmoil in the region. In the past, Islamist militant groups such as al-Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah have sought to exploit Muslim sensitivities over Jerusalem in attempts to add fuel to anti-Israel and anti-U.S. sentiments.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/new...alem-federal-government-says/article37219576/
 

Lieutenant

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 25, 2014
Messages
1,885
Reactions
2,410 25 0
World countries are being sensible not to flame the situation. Trump is gonna get a lot backlashes for taking such step and will put US relation with the Islamic world at stake. He should not jeopardize the peace process instead getting the two parties to talk.
 

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
The Saudis might do it. They have threatens to do that before and If they did, many will follow suit.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman to Trump: Embassy move would offend Muslims
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English
05 December 2017
Last Update: Tuesday, 5 December 2017, KSA 22:37 - GMT 19:37

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz received a telephone call from US President Donald Trump on Tuesday to discuss the latest regional developments.

During the conversation, King Salman, affirmed Saudi Arabia's continued support for the historic rights of the Palestinian people.
The King further assured Trump that any declaration on Jerusalem before a settlement would harm the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations.

He added that an embassy move to Jerusalem is a dangerous step that would negatively affect and offend Muslims around the world.

The telephone conversation followed a call from Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Washington on Monday who said that any announcement on Jerusalem's status before a final settlement of the conflict may increase tension in the region.

"Any American announcement on the status of Jerusalem before a final settlement is reached will harm the peace process and increase tension in the region," Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, said in a statement.

"The Kingdom's policy has been and continues to be supportive of the Palestinian people, and this has been transferred to the US administration," said Prince Khalid.

A statement issued on Tuesday by the Palestinian Presidency thank the Kingdom for its stand and said that this clearly shows the support of Saudi Arabia to the Palestinian people and their rights.

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/Ne...-Trump-Embassy-move-would-offend-Muslims.html
 

Hithchiker

MEMBER
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
605
Reactions
721 28 0
Country
Pakistan
Location
Saudi Arabia
World countries are being sensible not to flame the situation. Trump is gonna get a lot backlashes for taking such step and will but US relation with the Islamic world at stake. He should not jeopardize the peace process instead getting the two parties to talk.

Unfortunately with the present conditions of Muslims i believe nothing would harm US... Muslims are not honest and united with/to each other..Just look at the world (including Muslims) either support US or Russia ..Why not Muslims look towards themselves ..In-fact this IMA alliance i think should be connect to OIC and transformed into defense like NATO have...Can you image to attack tiny country like cyprus or hungry ...No , since one has to face wrath of NATO while this is completely absent among Muslims...and therefore getting harsh treatment one by one (Be it libya, iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan or any other)..
 

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
Warnings intensify as Trump readies Jerusalem declaration
By JOSEF FEDERMAN AND MATTHEW LEE | Associated Press |
December 06, 2017

image2.jpg

Palestinian burn a poster of the U.S. President Donald Trump during a protest in Bethlehem, West Bank, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2017.
MAHMOUD ILLEAN/AP



JERUSALEM — America's friends and foes unleashed fierce criticism on Wednesday ahead of President Donald Trump's announcement recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

While Israel welcomed the news, Palestinian officials declared the Mideast peace process "finished" and Turkey announced it would host a meeting of Islamic nations next week to give Muslim countries' leaders an opportunity to coordinate a response.

The harsh global reaction cast questions about the feasibility of a brewing U.S. peace plan that is expected to be presented by the White House in the near future.

The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state and fear that Trump's declaration essentially imposes on them a disastrous solution for one of the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"There is no way that there can be talks with the Americans. The peace process is finished. They have already pre-empted the outcome," said Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi. "They cannot take us for granted."

The U.S. decision "destroys the peace process," added Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. Top Palestinian officials were meeting Wednesday to plot their course forward.

U.S. officials said late Tuesday that Trump will instruct will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, despite intense Arab, Muslim and European opposition to a move that would upend decades of U.S. policy and risk potentially violent protests. Trump was expected to unveil his plan in a speech later Wednesday.

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Facebook that "Our historical national identity is receiving important expressions everyday."

He said he would comment further later in the day.

Other members of his Cabinet were more forthcoming. Education Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the nationalist Jewish Home party, praised what he called Trump's "bold and yet natural" move.
"The sooner the Arab world recognizes Jerusalem as our capital, the sooner we will reach real peace. Real peace that is not predicated on an illusion that we are going to carve up Jerusalem and carve up Israel," Bennett told The Associated Press on the sidelines of the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference.

International leaders, however, swiftly criticized Trump's plan.
Pope Francis said he was "profoundly concerned" and appealed that "everyone respects the status quo of the city." China, which has good ties with Israel and the Palestinians, expressed concerns over "possible aggravation of regional tensions." Two leading Lebanese newspapers published front-page rebukes of Trump.

Britain's Foreign Minister, Boris Johnson, who had already expressed concern about the U.S. decision, on Wednesday said it was now time for the Americans to present their peace plan for the region.

Trump's Mideast team, led by his adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have spent months meeting with Israeli, Palestinian and Arab leaders.

Details of their long awaited plan remain a mystery.
"Clearly this is a decision that makes it more important than ever that the long-awaited American proposals on the Middle East peace process are now brought forward," Johnson told reporters in Brussels.

In his speech, Trump was expected to instruct the State Department to begin the multi-year process of moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. It remained unclear, however, when he might take that physical step, which is required by U.S. law but has been waived on national security grounds for more than two decades.

The officials said numerous logistical and security details, as well as site determination and construction, could take three or four years to sort out.

To that end, the officials said Trump would delay the embassy move by signing a waiver, which is required by U.S. law every six months. He will continue to sign the waiver until preparations for the embassy move are complete.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity pending Trump's announcement, said the decision was merely an acknowledgment of "historical and current reality" rather than a political statement and said the city's physical and political borders will not be compromised.

They noted that almost all of Israel's government agencies and parliament are in Jerusalem, rather than Tel Aviv, where the U.S. and other countries maintain embassies.

Still, the declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital carries deep symbolic significance and could have dangerous consequences. The competing claims to east Jerusalem, the section of the city captured by Israel in 1967, have frequently boiled over into deadly violence over the years.

East Jerusalem is home to the city's most sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, as well as its 330,000 Palestinian residents.
The United States has never endorsed the Jewish state's claim of sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem and has insisted its status be resolved through Israeli-Palestinian negotiation.

The mere consideration of Trump changing the status quo sparked a renewed U.S. security warning on Tuesday. America's consulate in Jerusalem ordered U.S. personnel and their families to avoid visiting Jerusalem's Old City or the West Bank, and urged American citizens in general to avoid places with increased police or military presence.

Trump, as a presidential candidate, repeatedly promised to move the U.S. Embassy. However, U.S. leaders have routinely and unceremoniously delayed such a move since President Bill Clinton signed a law in 1995 stipulating that the United States must relocate its diplomatic presence to Jerusalem unless the commander in chief issues a waiver on national security grounds.

Key national security advisers — including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis — have urged caution, according to the officials, who said Trump has been receptive to some of their concerns.

Trump has spoken of his desire to broker a "deal of the century" that would end Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
U.S. officials, along with an outside adviser to the administration, said the president's speech was not aimed at resolving the conflict over Jerusalem.

He isn't planning to use the phrase "undivided capital," according to the officials. Such terminology is favored by Israeli officials and would imply Israel's sovereignty over east Jerusalem.

One official also said Trump would insist that issues of sovereignty and borders must be negotiated by Israel and the Palestinians. The official said Trump would call for Jordan to maintain its role as the legal guardian of Jerusalem's Muslim holy places, and reflect Israel and Palestinian wishes for a two-state peace solution.

Elsewhere, however, reactions were skeptical, especially across the Muslim world. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the "whole world is against" Trump's move.

He says that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would be a "grave mistake" and would "not bring any stability, peace but rather chaos and instability."

Lee reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Aron Heller in Jerusalem, Karin Laub in Amman, Jordan; Josh Lederman in Brussels; Zeina Karem in Beirut; Nicole Winfield in Rome and Gillian Wong in Beijing contributed to this report.

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle...-trump-readies-jerusalem-declaration-1.501022
 

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
Leaders warn of Trump plan to recognize Jerusalem as Israeli capital
By Ed Adamczyk
Dec. 06, 2017

World leaders are advising U.S. President Donald Trump to hold off on plans to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the potential move a "red line for Muslims." Bekir Bozdag, his deputy prime minister, said the move could "plunge the region and the world into a fire with no end in sight."

Trump is expected to announce the change, a promise of his 2016 presidential campaign, at 1 p.m. EST Wednesday.
Although it could take years for the embassy to actually move, the announcement would make the United States the first country to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The United States has never recognized Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem, despite the presence of most of Israel's government there. An independent Palestinian nation, should one be recognized, would use East Jerusalem as its capital. Palestinians reason that Trump's move essentially decides a core issue in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Since the 1979 Camp David Accords, the United States has maintained Jerusalem's status should be determined by Israelis and Palestinians. Trump's decision to move the embassy would overturn years of U.S. policy.

A recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital is seen by many as contrary to U.S. neutrality, NBC News reported.
The issue is sensitive one in the Middle East. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the move "unacceptable." Spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said, "If this happens, it will complicate things. It will put an obstacle in the peace process. Maybe it will be the end of the peace process."

Palestinian organization Hamas was more forceful. Its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said, "Our Palestinian people everywhere will not allow this conspiracy to pass, and their options are open in defending their land and their sacred places."

Many leaders in the Muslim world condemned the proposed move, and some suggested the United States could subsequently lose its standing as a mediator in a peace process.

Israeli leaders offered little comment on Trump's expected announcement, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday, "Our historical and national identity is receiving recognition, especially today."
Other world leaders warned of safety issues in Jerusalem and the possibility of violence over Trump's decision. Germany issued a warning to citizens in the area, saying "violent clashes cannot be ruled out."

The European Union called for the "resumption of a meaningful peace process toward a two-state solution." British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the status of Jerusalem should be a "negotiated settlement."
Jerusalem is an "open city," by diplomatic standards, which means Israelis and Palestinians can freely travel. Several Palestinian neighborhoods have checkpoints through which residents must pass .

Most of Jerusalem's 300,000 Palestinians are regarded as residents and not as Israeli citizens.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-...rusalem-as-Israeli-capital/2691512566512/ph3/
 

Khafee

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
12,324
Reactions
24,465 1,293 0
Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital
By Jeremy Diamond, CNN
Updated 1820 GMT December 06, 2017

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Wednesday and announced plans to relocate the US embassy there, a move expected to inflame tensions in the region and unsettle the prospects for peace.

"I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," Trump said from White House's Diplomatic Reception Room. "After more than two decades of waivers, we are no closer to a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians."

The move signaled a willingness on Trump's part to prioritize fulfilling a campaign promise over the consensus among US allies in the region and beyond that the decision could stymie the peace process and increase security risks in a region that is already on edge.
"Today, I am delivering," Trump said, referencing his campaign promise.

In calls with Trump on Tuesday, Arab leaders in the region and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed deep misgivings about Trump's move and urged him to reconsider.

Trump's decision, previewed Tuesday by senior administration officials, upends decades of policy from successive Republican and Democratic administrations that have said the status of Jerusalem should be left up to a final status agreement negotiated between Israelis and Palestinians.

Trump said Wednesday he is ordering the State Department "to begin preparations to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem."
But senior officials said he will again sign a waiver to keep the US embassy in Tel Aviv for the time being as they estimate it will take years before a new embassy can open in Jerusalem.

Trump said his order to the State Department will begin the process of hiring architects and building contractors to build an embassy that will be a "a magnificent tribute to peace."

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/06/politics/president-donald-trump-jerusalem/index.html
 
Top