US\u2009President Donald Trump faced down warnings of widespread Middle East unrest and untold damage to the peace process Tuesday, telling anxious Arab leaders he still intends to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
Amid a frantic round of telephone diplomacy, Trump told Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Jordan\u2019s King Abdullah that the deeply controversial move was coming, but crucially did not give a time frame.<\/p>\n
Trump \u201cinformed the president (Abbas) on his intention to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,\u201d the Palestinian leader\u2019s office said in a statement that was echoed in Amman.<\/p>\n
Trump must this week decide whether to sign a waiver keeping the embassy in Tel Aviv or fulfil a campaign promise and move it to Jerusalem — de facto recognising Israel\u2019s claim on the disputed city.<\/p>\n
Such a move would please Trump\u2019s conservative and evangelical donors and voter base.<\/p>\n
US officials said he will hold off on moving the embassy right away, but may issue a statement reiterating his intent and even go as far as recognising Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n
That could upend a decades-old western policy — observed by both Republican and Democratic presidents — that stated Jerusalem\u2019s status can only be decided by negotiation.<\/p>\n
The White House argues that such a move would not prejudge final talks and would represent the reality that west Jerusalem is and will continue to be part of Israel under any settlement.<\/p>\n
Still, it risks extinguishing Trump\u2019s efforts to broker Middle East peace and igniting the flames of conflict in a region already reeling from crises in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Qatar.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr Trump! Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims,\u201d Turkey\u2019s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a raucous televised speech, echoing alarm expressed by Palestinian and Arab leaders.<\/p>\n
In his address, Erdogan warned that any move to back Israel\u2019s claim to the city would mobilize \u201cthe entire Islamic world\u201d and even prompt Ankara to sever its recently-renewed diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.<\/p>\n
The armed Islamist Hamas movement has threatened to launch a new \u201cintifada\u201d or uprising.<\/p>\n
Most of the international community, including the United States, does not formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s capital, insisting the issue can only be resolved in final status negotiations.<\/p>\n
Following talks in Brussels with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, top EU diplomat Federica Mogherini warned that any move which risked undermining efforts to jumpstart moribund peace talks \u201cmust absolutely be avoided.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states, so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In Cairo, Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit warned it would be viewed as an act of \u201cclear aggression\u201d against the Arab and Muslim world.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia also expressed \u201cgrave and deep concern\u201d about the impact it would have on both the conflict and peace efforts, while the Palestinians said it would shatter any illusion about Trump\u2019s ability to fairly mediate in any talks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat totally destroys any chance that he will play a role as an honest broker,\u201d said Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.<\/p>\n
In Israel, however, hardline defence minister Avigdor Lieberman hailed the moment as a \u201chistoric opportunity\u201d for Trump, expressing hope he would see the US embassy in Jerusalem \u201cnext week or next month\u201d.<\/p>\n
The US Congress has already made its aim clear in the so-called Jerusalem Embassy Act, which was passed in 1995 and which stated that the city \u201cshould be recognised as the capital of the State of Israel\u201d and that the US embassy should be moved there.<\/p>\n
But an inbuilt waiver, which allows the president to temporarily postpone the move on grounds of \u201cnational security,\u201d has been repeatedly invoked by successive US presidents, meaning the law has never taken effect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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