{"id":444623,"date":"2017-12-07T10:51:27","date_gmt":"2017-12-07T10:51:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ghana-mma.com\/2017\/12\/07\/jerusalem-status-world-condemns-trumps-announcement\/"},"modified":"2017-12-07T10:51:27","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T10:51:27","slug":"jerusalem-status-world-condemns-trumps-announcement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/12\/07\/jerusalem-status-world-condemns-trumps-announcement\/","title":{"rendered":"Jerusalem status: World condemns Trump’s announcement"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Traditional US allies are among a growing chorus condemning President Trump\u2019s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia called it \u201cunjustified and irresponsible\u201d, while France and the UK said they did not support the decision.<\/p>\n

But Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu hailed it as \u201ca historic day\u201d.<\/p>\n

President Trump\u2019s move reversed decades of US policy. The fate of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest issues between Israel and the Palestinians.<\/p>\n

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced Donald Trump\u2019s move as \u201cdeplorable\u201d.<\/p>\n

Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are expected to hold a day of strikes and protests on Thursday.<\/p>\n

The UN Security Council is to discuss the issue on Friday after eight of the 15 member nations called for an emergency session. The Arab League is to meet on Saturday.<\/p>\n

What did Trump say?<\/h2>\n

The US president said on Wednesday he had \u201cjudged this course of action to be in the best interests of the United States of America, and the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said he was directing the US state department to begin preparations to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

Despite warnings of regional unrest over any such move, the decision fulfils a campaign promise and appeals to Mr Trump\u2019s right-wing base.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, I am delivering,\u201d the US leader said.<\/p>\n

Recognising Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s capital was \u201cnothing more or less than a recognition of reality\u201d, he added. \u201cIt is also the right thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the US still supported a two-state solution to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, if approved by both sides, which would essentially see the creation of an independent Palestinian state living alongside Israel.<\/p>\n

What do Israel and the Palestinians say?<\/h2>\n

Following the announcement, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was profoundly grateful, tweeting: \u201cJerusalem has been the focus of our hopes, our dreams, our prayers for three millennia.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Thursday, he went further, saying President Trump \u201cbound himself forever with the history of the capital\u201d, and predicting that many other countries would follow Washington\u2019s example.<\/p>\n

The Republican Jewish Coalition thanked the president in a New York Times ad.<\/a><\/p>\n

The mood was very different on the Palestinian side, with a day of strikes and protests planned.<\/p>\n

The leader of Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, called for a new intifada, or uprising, saying it was the only way to \u201cconfront\u201d Israel and the US.<\/p>\n

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Mr Trump\u2019s announcement \u201cdeplorable\u201d and said Jerusalem was the \u201ceternal capital of the state of Palestine\u201d.<\/p>\n

Fatah, Mr Abbas\u2019s party, said it would push for a UN resolution requesting that Washington \u201crescind its decision\u201d and disqualifying the US as a co-sponsor of the peace process.<\/p>\n

What does the rest of the world say?<\/h2>\n

The Arab and the wider Muslim world \u2013 including a number of US allies \u2013 condemned Mr Trump\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n

Demonstrations have already taken place outside the US consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe US move represents a significant decline in efforts to push a peace process and is a violation of the historically neutral American position on Jerusalem,\u201d the Saudi royal court said.<\/p>\n

Malaysian PM Najib Razak called on Muslims everywhere to \u201cmake it clear that we strongly oppose\u201d the US move.<\/p>\n

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said it was \u201ca moment of great anxiety\u201d. He said \u201cthere is no alternative to the two-state solution\u201d.<\/p>\n

In other reaction:<\/p>\n

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  • British PM Theresa May said she disagreed with the US decision, which was \u201cunhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region\u201d<\/li>\n
  • German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron both said their countries did not support the move<\/li>\n
  • EU chief diplomat Federica Mogherini voiced \u201cserious concern\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n

    Source: BBC<\/p>\n

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