The UN Security Council will call an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the US’s decision. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that the two-state solution is the only plan for the Israel-Palestine situation. Guterres promised to do his best to bring the two nations back to meaningful negotiations. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and British Prime Minister Theresa May, said they disagree with US President Trump’s unilateral movement, saying it will damage the Middle-East peace progress. The Turkish Foreign Ministry called the US’s movement “irresponsible” and urged Washington to think again. Pope Francis in Rome urged that Jerusalem’s status quo be maintained. Islamic leaders unanimously condemned the US’s decision. Palestine called Trump’s action unacceptable and said it destroyed the Middle-East peace efforts. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the US … [Read more...] about Countries react to US recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
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World, bar Israel, condemns Trump Jerusalem announcement
Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital has drawn sharp criticism, with the significant exception of Israel. Here are key reactions from around the world: Israel salutes 'historic' day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump's recognition as "historic" and a "courageous and just decision". Netanyahu also pledged no change to the status quo at Jerusalem's highly sensitive holy sites in the city, sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. No longer a peace broker Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the U.S. could no longer play the role of peace broker after Trump's decision. "These deplorable and unacceptable measures deliberately undermine all peace efforts," Abbas said in a speech. 'Destroys two-state solution' The secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation said Trump had destroyed any hopes for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "He destroyed the two-state solution," Saeb Erekat, who long served … [Read more...] about World, bar Israel, condemns Trump Jerusalem announcement
Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, defying allies and foes
President Donald Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy on Wednesday and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, effectively taking sides in one of the thorniest issues in the Mideast dispute and upsetting Washington's friends and foes alike. Trump announced his administration would begin a process of moving the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a step expected to take years and one that his predecessors had avoided so as not to inflame tensions. The status of Jerusalem -- home to sites that are holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions -- is one of the biggest obstacles to reaching a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump’s announcement as a “historic landmark" but other close Western allies of Washington such as Britain and France were critical. Palestinians accused the United States of abdicating its responsibility to try to broker peace. The international community does not … [Read more...] about Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, defying allies and foes
Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel capital, upending decades of U.S. policy
President Donald Trump on Wednesday will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and set in motion the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to the ancient city, senior U.S. officials said, a decision that upends decades of U.S. policy and risks fueling violence in the Middle East. Facing an outcry of opposition from Arab capitals, Trump, in a landmark speech, will announce he has ordered the State Department to begin developing a plan to move the embassy from Tel Aviv in what is expected to be a process that takes three to four years, the officials said. He will not set a timetable for the move. Trump will sign a national security waiver that authorizes him to delay the embassy relocation for now, since the U.S. diplomats do not yet have a building in Jerusalem to move into, security arrangements or housing for diplomats, the officials said. Still, Trump’s endorsement of Israel's claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital would reverse long-standing U.S. policy that the city's status … [Read more...] about Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel capital, upending decades of U.S. policy
Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
A senior administration official said Trump would make the landmark announcement – which flies in the face of warnings from America’s allies across the region and the world – at 1pm (local time) from the White House."He will say that that the United States government recognises that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel," a senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity."He views this as a recognition of reality, both historic reality," the source added, "and modern reality".Plunging further into a bitter centuries-old argument between Jews, Muslims and Christians, Trump will also order planning to begin on moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem."It will take some time to find a site, to address security concerns, design a new facility, fund a new facility and build it," the official said, indicating that the move will not be immediate."It will be a matter of some years, it won’t be months, it’s going to take time".The … [Read more...] about Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital