Washington – President Donald Trump told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday that he intends to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a Palestinian spokesman said, amid a growing outcry across the Middle East against any unilateral U.S. decision on the ancient city.
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Senior U.S. officials have said Trump is likely on Wednesday to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital 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. The officials said, however, that no final decisions have been made.
U.S. endorsement of Israel’s claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital would break with decades of U.S. 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 recognize Israeli sovereignty over the entire city.
Abbas joined a mounting chorus of voices saying the U.S. move could unleash turmoil.
“President Mahmoud Abbas received a telephone call from U.S. President Donald Trump in which he notified the president of his intention to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said.
The statement did not say whether Trump, who was also due to talk to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan’s King Abdullah on Tuesday, specified the timing of such a move.
Abbas “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,” Abu Rdainah said.
Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz, who met last week with U.S. officials in Washington, told Israel’s Army Radio: “My impression is that the president will recognize 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 recognizes Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, he said: “We are preparing for every option. Anything like that can always erupt. If Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud 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 recognizes Jerusalem.
Senior U.S. officials told Reuters 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.
“Mr. Trump, Jerusalem is the red line of Muslims,” Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling AK Party. [nL8N1O5287]
“This can go as far as severing Turkey’s ties with Israel. I am warning the United States not to take such a step which will deepen the problems in the region.”
FEARS OF BACKLASH
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far declined to speculate on what Trump might say.
But Katz took to Twitter to reject Turkey’s threat and reiterate Israel’s position on the ancient city, which is one of a long list of stumbling blocks in years of failed peace talks with the Palestinians.
“We don’t take orders or accept threats from the president of Turkey,” he wrote.
Two U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity that news of the plan to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital had kicked up resistance from the State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs bureau (NEA), which deals with the region.
“Senior (officials) in NEA and a number of ambassadors from the region expressed their deep concern about doing this,” said one official, saying that the concerns focused on “security.”
The State Department referred questions to the White House. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A fourth U.S. official said the consensus U.S. intelligence estimate on U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was that it would risk triggering a backlash against Israel, and also potentially against U.S. interests in the Middle East.
It could also derail a fledgling Israeli-Palestinian peace effort led by Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner.
U.S. allies added their warnings.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, said on Tuesday that “any action that would undermine” peace efforts to create two separate states for the Israelis and the Palestinians “must absolutely be avoided”. [nL1N1O50GL]
Speaking alongside U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Brussels, she said Jerusalem’s status would have to be agreed through negotiations.
The Arab League and Saudi Arabia repeated past warnings, following statements by France and Jordan in recent days. [nL8N1O52AM] [nL8N1O5239] [nL8N1O461I]
Past Israeli-Palestinian rifts have deteriorated into protests, attacks and fighting and further destabilized the region.
Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, a move not recognized internationally.
Does anyone the tefilla to say for a leader? I am 100% serious and don’t mean it in the Fiddler on the roof way of having the czar far from us. I never used it even before the Kenyan like the oil man/liberal Bush was a fool.
I fully believe that this magnificent president, a true Oheiv Yisroel, intends to keep his campaign promise to move the embassy to Jerusalem, the first American president who was SINCERE AMD TRUTHFUL when he made the pre-election promise. But I also know the entire arab world already is threatening him with violence against americans and Pres, Trump’s first priority always, in all his work and accomplishments, has been and always will e, the welfare and safety and security of the American people, and therefore he may have no choice but to give in to the bloodthirsty bullies’ threats and have to delay moving the embassy.
The reactions reported here speak volumes about the mentality of the bloodthirsty, greedy, moral degenerates of the Muslim world and those who offer their support to them.
United States can take whichever diplomatic moves it wants. The President has teams of advisors, and none of them include Abbas, Erdogan, or the other chaleryas of the Muslim world. Oh, so they will bemoan the two-state solution? There has never been a chance for that. Israel tried giving land to these animals. They never decreased terror one iota. Decades of concessions never preserved a single Israeli life. It just brought about additional demands and increased terror. Two-state was a myth from the beginning, as PC as it may appear. Anything that allows Israel to exist will anger the Muslims. Well, tough. Israel is here to stay. And these Muslim predators won’t succeed in their efforts to eliminate Israel or Jews anywhere.
Just look at the threats. US will take its action, and revenge will be meted out to – Israel. But Israel did not do anything. Any action is basis for terror. These barbaric chayos need to be exterminated. They proved they cannot coexist with other humans.
they only people blocking him, are the Israelis.
They don’t want you to know that, but they are not ready for it either.
Hopefully, this careless talk and potential policy statement do not cause death and harm to people in Israel and to Jews and Americans around the world. Let us pray that we do not suffer because of the words and acts of this naive and unstable man in the White House.
He said he will move the embassy. Did he say why?
Very scary move. We shldnt pay a hefty price for it. May Trump still reconsider. Would benefit everyone besides the Zionist propaganda