Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, plunges Middle East into fire

Washington/Jerusalem, December 6

President Donald Trump reversed decades of US policy on Wednesday and recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in defiance of warnings from around the world that the gesture risks creating further unrest in the Middle East.

In a speech at the White House, Trump said his administration would begin a process of moving the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which is expected to take years.

The status of Jerusalem —home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions — is one of the thorniest obstacles to reaching a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

“I have determined that it is time to officially recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” Trump said. “While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.”

Israel considers the city its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there. Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city's eastern sector, which Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed in a move never recognised internationally.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump’s announcement as a “historic landmark” and urged other countries also to move their embassies in Israel to Jerusalem. He said any peace deal with Palestinians must include Jerusalem as Israel's capital. This would be a non-starter for Palestinians if it means the entire city would be under Israeli control.

The Palestinians have said Trump’s move would mean the “kiss of death” to the two-state solution, envisaging a Palestinian state in territory — the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem —that Israel took in 1967.

Ahead of Trump’s announcement, Washington’s allies in the region warned of dangerous repercussions.

Pope Francis called for Jerusalem’s status quo to be respected, saying new tension would further inflame world conflicts. China and Russia expressed concern the plans could aggravate Middle East hostilities. A Palestinian envoy said the decision was a declaration of war in the Middle East.

A spokesman for the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the US was “plunging the region and the world into a fire with no end in sight”.

Trump said his move is not intended to tip the scale in favour of Israel and that any deal involving the future of Jerusalem would have to be negotiated by the parties. He said he remained committed to the two-state solution between the Israelis and Palestinians if they parties want one. 

The President called on the region to take his message calmly and with moderation. “There will of course be disagreement and dissent regarding this announcement-but we are confident that ultimately, as we work through these disagreements, we will arrive at a place of greater understanding and cooperation,” Trump said. — Agencies

Holy city is Middle East’s Bone of contention

• Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it. The international community does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions. No other country has its embassy in Jerusalem
• The political benefits for Trump of the move are unclear. The decision will thrill Republican conservatives and evangelical Christians who make up a large share of his political base. But it will complicate Trump’s desire for a more stable Middle East and Israel-Palestinian peace and arouse tensions

Acknowledge Obvious

Today, we acknowledge the obvious: That Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. This is nothing more or less than recognition of a reality. Donald Trump, US President

Historic landmark

Trump’s announcement is a historic landmark. Any peace deal with Palestinians must include Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli PM

Regrettable move

It is a regrettable decision that France does not approve of and goes against international law and resolutions of the UN Emmanuel Macron, French President