U.S. President Donald Trump reversed decades of policy on Wednesday Dec 06,2017 and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel despite warnings from around the world that the gesture will further drive a wedge between Israel and the Palestinians.
“I have determined that it is time to officially recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel ” Mr. Trump said. “While previous Presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.”
In a speech at the White House, Mr. Trump said his administration would also begin a process of moving the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which is expected to take years.
President Donald Trump holds a proclamation to recognize Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House on December 6, 2017, in Washington, as Vice President Mike Pence watches. Trump recognized 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
Israel hails Trump's 'historic' declaration, Palestinians condemn
Israel hailed U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as its capital on Wednesday, but the Palestinians condemned the move and said it diminished Washington's role as a peace mediator.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video message that Trump's decision had made for a "historic day” and was “an important step towards peace".
He added that any peace deal with the Palestinians would have to include Jerusalem as Israel's capital and he urged other countries to follow the U.S. lead by also moving their embassies to the city.
He said there would be no change to access to Jerusalem's holy sites. “Israel will always ensure freedom of worship for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.”
But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Trump's move was “tantamount to the United States abdicating its role as a peace mediator” and declared Jerusalem as the “eternal capital of the State of Palestine".
Note
Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed it, declaring the whole of the city as its capital, a move not recognized internationally.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state which they want to establish in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip
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