The United Nations Security Council is considering a draft resolution that would insist any decisions on the status of Jerusalem have no legal effect and must be rescinded after US&nbsp;President Donald Trump recognized the city as Israel&#39;s capital.&nbsp;

The one-page Egyptian-drafted text, which was circulated to the 15-member council on Saturday and seen by Reuters, does not specifically mention the United States or Trump. Diplomats say it has broad support but will likely be vetoed by Washington.

The council could vote early next week, diplomats said. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass.

Trump abruptly reversed decades of US policy this month when he recognized Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital, generating outrage from Palestinians. Trump also plans to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

After the decision, Arab foreign ministers agreed to seek a UN&nbsp;Security Council resolution. While the draft is unlikely to be adopted, it would further isolate Trump over the Jerusalem issue.&nbsp;

The US&nbsp;mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the draft. US&nbsp;Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has praised Trump&#39;s decision as &quot;the just and right thing to do.&quot;

The draft UN&nbsp;resolution &quot;affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered, the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council.&quot;

It calls upon all countries to refrain establishing diplomatic missions in Jerusalem.

Israel considers the city its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there.&nbsp;

&ldquo;No vote or debate will change the clear reality that Jerusalem&rdquo; is the capital of Israel, Israel&#39;s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said in a statement.&nbsp;

Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city&#39;s eastern sector, which Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed in a move never recognized internationally.&nbsp;

The draft council resolution &quot;demands that all states comply with Security Council resolutions regarding the Holy City of Jerusalem, and not to recognize any actions or measures contrary to those resolutions.&quot;

A UN&nbsp;Security Council resolution adopted in December last year &quot;underlines that it will not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations.&quot;

That resolution was approved with 14 votes in favor and an abstention by former U.S. President Barack Obama&#39;s administration.&nbsp;

The United Nations Security Council is considering a draft resolution that would insist any decisions on the status of Jerusalem have no legal effect and must be rescinded after US?President Donald Trump recognized the city as Israel's capital

The United Nations Security Council is considering a draft resolution that would insist any decisions on the status of Jerusalem have no legal effect and must be rescinded after US President Donald Trump recognized the city as Israel's capital. The one-page Egyptian-drafted text, which was circulated to the 15-member council on Saturday and seen by Reuters, does not specifically mention the United States or Trump. Diplomats say it has broad support but will likely be vetoed by Washington. The council could vote early next week, diplomats said. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass. Trump abruptly reversed decades of US policy this month when he recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, generating outrage from Palestinians. Trump also plans to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. After the decision, Arab foreign ministers agreed to seek a UN Security Council resolution. While the draft is unlikely to be adopted, it would further isolate Trump over the Jerusalem issue. The US mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the draft. US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has praised Trump's decision as "the just and right thing to do." The draft UN resolution "affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered, the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council." It calls upon all countries to refrain establishing diplomatic missions in Jerusalem. Israel considers the city its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there. “No vote or debate will change the clear reality that Jerusalem” is the capital of Israel, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said in a statement. Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city's eastern sector, which Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed in a move never recognized internationally. The draft council resolution "demands that all states comply with Security Council resolutions regarding the Holy City of Jerusalem, and not to recognize any actions or measures contrary to those resolutions." A UN Security Council resolution adopted in December last year "underlines that it will not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations." That resolution was approved with 14 votes in favor and an abstention by former U.S. President Barack Obama's administration.

UN council mulls call for US Jerusalem decision to be withdrawn

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday slammed Israel as a state defined by &quot;occupation&quot; and &quot;terror&quot;, as he opened an Islamic summit on the US recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

&quot;Israel is a state of occupation. Besides this, Israel is a state of terror,&quot; Erdogan told leaders from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) gathered for an emergency meeting in istanbul.

Erdogan also urged the world to recognise East Jerusalem as &#39;capital of Palestine&#39;.

&quot;I am inviting the countries who value international law and fairness to recognise occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine,&quot; he said.

The Turkish president slammed Israel as a state defined by 'occupation' and 'terror', as he opened an Islamic summit on the US recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday slammed Israel as a state defined by "occupation" and "terror", as he opened an Islamic summit on the US recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. "Israel is a state of occupation. Besides this, Israel is a state of terror," Erdogan told leaders from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) gathered for an emergency meeting in istanbul. Erdogan also urged the world to recognise East Jerusalem as 'capital of Palestine'. "I am inviting the countries who value international law and fairness to recognise occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine," he said.

Erdogan urges world to recognise East Jerusalem as 'capital of Palestine'

Muslim leaders condemned US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Wednesday and called on the world to respond by recognising East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who hosted the summit of more than 50 Muslim countries in Istanbul, said the US&nbsp;move meant Washington had forfeited its role as broker in efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.&nbsp;

&quot;From now on, it is out of the question for a biased United States to be a mediator between Israel and Palestine, that period is over,&quot; Erdogan said at the end of the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states.

&quot;We need to discuss who will be a mediator from now on. This needs to be tackled in the UN too,&quot; Erdogan said.

A communique posted on the Turkish Foreign Ministry website said the emirs, presidents and ministers gathered in Istanbul regarded Trump&#39;s move &quot;as an announcement of the US&nbsp;Administration`s withdrawal from its role as sponsor of peace&quot;.

It described the decision as &quot;a deliberate undermining of all peace efforts, an impetus (for) extremism and terrorism, and a threat to international peace and security&quot;.

Leaders including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Iran&#39;s President Hassan Rouhani and Jordan`s King Abdullah, a close US&nbsp;ally, all criticised Washington&#39;s move.

&quot;Jerusalem is and always will be the capital of Palestine,&quot; Abbas said, adding Trump&#39;s decision was &quot;the greatest crime&quot; and a violation of international law.

The Trump administration says it remains committed to reaching peace between Israel and the Palestinians and its decision does not affect Jerusalem&#39;s future borders or status.

It says any credible future peace deal will place the Israeli capital in Jerusalem, and ditching old policies is needed to revive a peace process frozen since 2014. But Abbas told the leaders in Istanbul that Washington had shown it could no longer be an honest broker.&nbsp;

&quot;It will be unacceptable for it to have a role in the political process any longer since it is biased in favour of Israel,&quot; he said. &quot;This is our position and we hope you support us in this.&quot;

Palestinian capital 

Jerusalem, revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, is home to Islam&#39;s third holiest site and has been at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades. Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it in an action not recognised internationally.

The communique on the Turkish ministry website and a separate &quot;Istanbul Declaration&quot; distributed to journalists after the meeting said the leaders called on all countries to recognise East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

&quot;We invite the Trump Administration to reconsider its unlawful decision that might trigger...chaos in the region, and to rescind its mistaken step,&quot; the declaration said.

Iran, locked in a regional rivalry with Saudi Arabia, said the Muslim world should overcome internal problems through dialogue so it could unite against Israel.

Tehran has repeatedly called for the destruction of the Israeli state and backs several militant groups in their fight against it.&nbsp;

&quot;America is only seeking to secure the maximum interests of the Zionists and it has no respect for the legitimate rights of Palestinians,&quot; Rouhani told the summit.&nbsp;

King Abdullah, whose country signed a peace treaty with Israel more than 20 years ago, said he rejected any attempt to alter the status quo of Jerusalem and its holy sites.&nbsp;

Abdullah&#39;s Hashemite dynasty is custodian of Jerusalem`s Muslim sites, making Amman sensitive to any changes in the city.

Not all countries were represented by heads of government. Some sent ministers and Saudi Arabia, another close ally of Washington&#39;s, sent a junior foreign minister.

Summit host Turkey has warned that Trump&#39;s decision would plunge the world into &quot;a fire with no end in sight&quot;.

Erdogan described it as reward for Israeli actions including occupation, settlement construction, land seizure and &quot;disproportionate violence and murder&quot;.

&quot;Israel is an occupying state (and) Israel is a terror state,&quot; he told the summit.&nbsp;

&quot;I invite all countries supporting international law to recognise Jerusalem as the occupied capital of Palestine. We cannot be late any more,&quot; Erdogan told leaders and ministers from more than 50 Muslim countries.

Trump&#39;s declaration has been applauded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Washington had an irreplaceable part to play in the region.

&quot;There is no substitute to the role that the United States plays in leading the peace process,&quot; he said at a Hanukkah holiday candle lighting ceremony on Tuesday.&nbsp;

A communique posted on the Turkish Foreign Ministry website said the emirs, presidents and ministers gathered in Istanbul regarded Trump's move "as an announcement of the US

Muslim leaders condemned US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Wednesday and called on the world to respond by recognising East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who hosted the summit of more than 50 Muslim countries in Istanbul, said the US move meant Washington had forfeited its role as broker in efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "From now on, it is out of the question for a biased United States to be a mediator between Israel and Palestine, that period is over," Erdogan said at the end of the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states. "We need to discuss who will be a mediator from now on. This needs to be tackled in the UN too," Erdogan said. A communique posted on the Turkish Foreign Ministry website said the emirs, presidents and ministers gathered in Istanbul regarded Trump's move "as an announcement of the US Administration`s withdrawal from its role as sponsor of peace". It described the decision as "a deliberate undermining of all peace efforts, an impetus (for) extremism and terrorism, and a threat to international peace and security". Leaders including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and Jordan`s King Abdullah, a close US ally, all criticised Washington's move. "Jerusalem is and always will be the capital of Palestine," Abbas said, adding Trump's decision was "the greatest crime" and a violation of international law. The Trump administration says it remains committed to reaching peace between Israel and the Palestinians and its decision does not affect Jerusalem's future borders or status. It says any credible future peace deal will place the Israeli capital in Jerusalem, and ditching old policies is needed to revive a peace process frozen since 2014. But Abbas told the leaders in Istanbul that Washington had shown it could no longer be an honest broker. "It will be unacceptable for it to have a role in the political process any longer since it is biased in favour of Israel," he said. "This is our position and we hope you support us in this." Palestinian capital Jerusalem, revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, is home to Islam's third holiest site and has been at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades. Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it in an action not recognised internationally. The communique on the Turkish ministry website and a separate "Istanbul Declaration" distributed to journalists after the meeting said the leaders called on all countries to recognise East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. "We invite the Trump Administration to reconsider its unlawful decision that might trigger...chaos in the region, and to rescind its mistaken step," the declaration said. Iran, locked in a regional rivalry with Saudi Arabia, said the Muslim world should overcome internal problems through dialogue so it could unite against Israel. Tehran has repeatedly called for the destruction of the Israeli state and backs several militant groups in their fight against it. "America is only seeking to secure the maximum interests of the Zionists and it has no respect for the legitimate rights of Palestinians," Rouhani told the summit. King Abdullah, whose country signed a peace treaty with Israel more than 20 years ago, said he rejected any attempt to alter the status quo of Jerusalem and its holy sites. Abdullah's Hashemite dynasty is custodian of Jerusalem`s Muslim sites, making Amman sensitive to any changes in the city. Not all countries were represented by heads of government. Some sent ministers and Saudi Arabia, another close ally of Washington's, sent a junior foreign minister. Summit host Turkey has warned that Trump's decision would plunge the world into "a fire with no end in sight". Erdogan described it as reward for Israeli actions including occupation, settlement construction, land seizure and "disproportionate violence and murder". "Israel is an occupying state (and) Israel is a terror state," he told the summit. "I invite all countries supporting international law to recognise Jerusalem as the occupied capital of Palestine. We cannot be late any more," Erdogan told leaders and ministers from more than 50 Muslim countries. Trump's declaration has been applauded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Washington had an irreplaceable part to play in the region. "There is no substitute to the role that the United States plays in leading the peace process," he said at a Hanukkah holiday candle lighting ceremony on Tuesday.

Muslim leaders call on world to recognise East Jerusalem as Palestinian capital

When it comes to diplomatic ambiguity, India has taken the cake on Jerusalem. Consider the statement from the Ministry of External Affairs -&nbsp;

&quot;India&#39;s position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country&quot;

What does it tell you about India&#39;s position on Jerusalem? That the position remains what the last official submission said? Or that we have a position but we won&#39;t share it? Or that we&#39;ve spoken because we had to, but we&#39;d rather pretend what&#39;s happening isn&#39;t happening. To put it mildly, it&#39;s unbecoming for a country that hopes to secure a seat at the global high table. Jerusalem is the biggest point of debate in geopolitics today. To dither on it is to squander diplomatic capital.

The crisis should, instead, be made the most of. It&#39;s an opportunity for New Delhi. While Washington has undermined its role as a fair mediator, other players are jumping in. Russia&#39;s Vladimir Putin, after having played a decisive role in Syria and touring Turkey and Egypt, is being seen as a strong contender willing to get his hands dirty. He is emerging as the strongest outsider in this region with a finger in every pie.

China, earlier this year, sought to play a more prominent role in the region by issuing a four-point proposal on the Palestine conflict. President Xi Jinping offered to invest in industrial parks and solar power plants in Palestine. China already has substantial investments in Israel and would have been a defence partner too, had it not been for American roadblocks. Beijing also came up with a strongly worded response to Trump&#39;s decision to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel, saying it will potentially flare up regional tensions. It is taking a stand.

France&#39;s Macron has been showing increasing interest in West Asia. He visited Saudi Arabia and invited Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri to his country. He told Israeli PM Netanyahu that Trump&#39;s moves are a threat to regional stability. Even Singapore has spoken out against unilateral decisions that might impede the peace process.

India, in contrast, remains conspicuous by its vague response. It&#39;s a pity because India is also the best poised to play a more substantial role. The Palestinians trust India, the first non-Arab country to have recognised the PLO&#39;s authority as &quot;the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.&quot; Isreal calls India a strategic partner and a lot of other things that made headlines this summer when Modi became the first Indian PM to visit Tel Aviv.

The bilateral defence cooperation is worth billions&nbsp;and growing. India has no political stakes in the region and can leverage its good offices with both sides. It is seen favourably by the Arab players and has ties with Iran. In short, it is a neutral player with an international stature and a reputation for being a responsible state.

The current regime in New Delhi made a lot of fuss and lofty pronouncements on doing away with hypocrisy on the Israel-Palestine issue. The Prime Minister then walked the talk by skipping a visit to Ramallah when he went to Israel. It&#39;s time to demonstrate the same position of strength by offering to resuscitate the peace process.

Fears of such a move opening the Pandora&#39;s box on Kashmir are unfounded. Kashmir is not Jerusalem. The conflict is different. The dynamics are different. India has stood firm on the contention that this is a bilateral issue and rightly refused all offers of international mediation. The West Asian players have taken no such position.

India has successfully played a constructive role in the Afghan situation. It is seen as a reliable force in rebuilding the country. It is training the military and police force. It whittled away the chance it had in Myanmar by again taking a myopic view of the Rohingya crisis. Delhi shouldn&#39;t repeat the mistake in Jerusalem. To be recognised as a global leader, it has to demonstrate leadership and the willingness to deal with sticky affairs.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

The current regime in New Delhi made a lot of fuss and lofty pronouncements on doing away with hypocrisy on the Israel-Palestine issue

When it comes to diplomatic ambiguity, India has taken the cake on Jerusalem. Consider the statement from the Ministry of External Affairs - "India's position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country" What does it tell you about India's position on Jerusalem? That the position remains what the last official submission said? Or that we have a position but we won't share it? Or that we've spoken because we had to, but we'd rather pretend what's happening isn't happening. To put it mildly, it's unbecoming for a country that hopes to secure a seat at the global high table. Jerusalem is the biggest point of debate in geopolitics today. To dither on it is to squander diplomatic capital. The crisis should, instead, be made the most of. It's an opportunity for New Delhi. While Washington has undermined its role as a fair mediator, other players are jumping in. Russia's Vladimir Putin, after having played a decisive role in Syria and touring Turkey and Egypt, is being seen as a strong contender willing to get his hands dirty. He is emerging as the strongest outsider in this region with a finger in every pie. China, earlier this year, sought to play a more prominent role in the region by issuing a four-point proposal on the Palestine conflict. President Xi Jinping offered to invest in industrial parks and solar power plants in Palestine. China already has substantial investments in Israel and would have been a defence partner too, had it not been for American roadblocks. Beijing also came up with a strongly worded response to Trump's decision to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel, saying it will potentially flare up regional tensions. It is taking a stand. France's Macron has been showing increasing interest in West Asia. He visited Saudi Arabia and invited Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri to his country. He told Israeli PM Netanyahu that Trump's moves are a threat to regional stability. Even Singapore has spoken out against unilateral decisions that might impede the peace process. India, in contrast, remains conspicuous by its vague response. It's a pity because India is also the best poised to play a more substantial role. The Palestinians trust India, the first non-Arab country to have recognised the PLO's authority as "the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people." Isreal calls India a strategic partner and a lot of other things that made headlines this summer when Modi became the first Indian PM to visit Tel Aviv. The bilateral defence cooperation is worth billions and growing. India has no political stakes in the region and can leverage its good offices with both sides. It is seen favourably by the Arab players and has ties with Iran. In short, it is a neutral player with an international stature and a reputation for being a responsible state. The current regime in New Delhi made a lot of fuss and lofty pronouncements on doing away with hypocrisy on the Israel-Palestine issue. The Prime Minister then walked the talk by skipping a visit to Ramallah when he went to Israel. It's time to demonstrate the same position of strength by offering to resuscitate the peace process. Fears of such a move opening the Pandora's box on Kashmir are unfounded. Kashmir is not Jerusalem. The conflict is different. The dynamics are different. India has stood firm on the contention that this is a bilateral issue and rightly refused all offers of international mediation. The West Asian players have taken no such position. India has successfully played a constructive role in the Afghan situation. It is seen as a reliable force in rebuilding the country. It is training the military and police force. It whittled away the chance it had in Myanmar by again taking a myopic view of the Rohingya crisis. Delhi shouldn't repeat the mistake in Jerusalem. To be recognised as a global leader, it has to demonstrate leadership and the willingness to deal with sticky affairs. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: India and the Jerusalem crisis, silence isn't always gold

Israeli <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pope-renews-call-for-wisdom-and-prudence-over-jerusalem-26389">PM Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit </a>to France said that &#39;&#39;Jerusalem is the capital of Israel&#39;&#39; and it has been the &quot;capital for 3,000 years&quot;.

&quot;Where else is <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/israels-netanyahu-says-wont-take-lectures-from-turkeys-erdogan-26395">the capital of Israel but in Jerusalem? Where</a> is our Knesset, our parliament, where&#39;s our supreme court, the seat of our government, the prime minister&#39;s office, the president&#39;s office?, Netanyahu asked, adding,&quot;It&#39;s not in Beersheba, it&#39;s not in Ashdod, these are wonderful cities but it&#39;s in Jerusalem, it&#39;s always been our capital and Jerusalem has never been the capital of any other people.&quot;

&quot;I think the sooner the Palestinians come to grips with this reality, the sooner we&#39;ll move towards peace,&quot; he added.

&quot;I have offered continuously to (Palestinian President) Mr (Mahmoud) Abbas to sit down and negotiate peace. I do so again,&quot; the Isreali PM said.&nbsp;

This is the first time Netanyahu has declared his views in front of another head of state. Speaking to reporters in Paris, President Macron, however, sought to strike a balance saying: &quot;I would tell Netanyahu, give a chance to peace and make a gesture towards the Palestinians.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;Peace doesn&#39;t depend on the United States on one side, on France on its own. It depends on the ability of the two leaders, Israeli and Palestinian, to make it happen,&quot; Macron added.

Meanwhile, violence continued in the Middle East over US President Trump&#39;s announcement to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard at Jerusalem&#39;s main bus station. Elsewhere, &nbsp;violence flared near the US Embassy in Beirut as demonstrators openly set torched the &nbsp;US and Israeli flags.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan said the US move &quot;could throw a lifebuoy to terrorist and armed groups, which have begun to lose ground&quot; in the Middle East.

President Macron said that he had told PM Netanyahu that France &quot;disapproved&quot; of the recent declaration by the president of the United States on Jerusalem, adding that it ran &quot;contrary to international law&quot; and was &quot;dangerous for peace&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;Dangerous for peace because it doesn&#39;t seem in the short term to benefit the cause of security, including for the Israelis themselves,&quot; Macron asserted.

When asked about discontent across the region over Trump&#39;s decision, including harsh criticism from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Netanyahu said he would not be given &quot;morality lectures&quot; by Erdogan.

 
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MXDDOlLLitc" width="560"></iframe> 
&nbsp;

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President Macron said that he had told PM Netanyahu that France "disapproved" of the recent declaration by the president of the United States on Jerusalem

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to France said that ''Jerusalem is the capital of Israel'' and it has been the "capital for 3,000 years". "Where else is the capital of Israel but in Jerusalem? Where is our Knesset, our parliament, where's our supreme court, the seat of our government, the prime minister's office, the president's office?, Netanyahu asked, adding,"It's not in Beersheba, it's not in Ashdod, these are wonderful cities but it's in Jerusalem, it's always been our capital and Jerusalem has never been the capital of any other people." "I think the sooner the Palestinians come to grips with this reality, the sooner we'll move towards peace," he added. "I have offered continuously to (Palestinian President) Mr (Mahmoud) Abbas to sit down and negotiate peace. I do so again," the Isreali PM said. This is the first time Netanyahu has declared his views in front of another head of state. Speaking to reporters in Paris, President Macron, however, sought to strike a balance saying: "I would tell Netanyahu, give a chance to peace and make a gesture towards the Palestinians." "Peace doesn't depend on the United States on one side, on France on its own. It depends on the ability of the two leaders, Israeli and Palestinian, to make it happen," Macron added. Meanwhile, violence continued in the Middle East over US President Trump's announcement to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard at Jerusalem's main bus station. Elsewhere, violence flared near the US Embassy in Beirut as demonstrators openly set torched the US and Israeli flags. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan said the US move "could throw a lifebuoy to terrorist and armed groups, which have begun to lose ground" in the Middle East. President Macron said that he had told PM Netanyahu that France "disapproved" of the recent declaration by the president of the United States on Jerusalem, adding that it ran "contrary to international law" and was "dangerous for peace". "Dangerous for peace because it doesn't seem in the short term to benefit the cause of security, including for the Israelis themselves," Macron asserted. When asked about discontent across the region over Trump's decision, including harsh criticism from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Netanyahu said he would not be given "morality lectures" by Erdogan.

Sooner Palestinians come to grips with reality, we can move towards peace: Israeli PM Netanyahu

Just days after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/jerusalem-status-us-decision-a-serious-violation-of-international-law-says-pak-pm-abbasi-26120">PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi condemned</a> President Trump&#39;s decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, Pakistan&#39;s hardline political outfits took to the streets to protest against Trump&#39;s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital.

Protesters <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/sooner-palestinians-come-to-grips-with-reality-we-can-move-towards-peace-israeli-pm-netanyahu-26405">belonging to Majlis Wahdat ul Muslimeen</a>(MWM), a hardline Islamist group, torched the US and Israeli flags in front of the US Consulate in Karachi.

Several hundred Difa-e-Pakistan Council protesters, an umbrella organization of hardline political organization took to the streets in Karachi chanting &nbsp;&quot;Death to America&quot; holding anti-US banners.

Last week, Jammat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed in his first public speech in Chauburji near Lahore had slammed the US move to recognise Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital saying: &quot;Any Muslim country if opens its consulate in Jerusalem should be barred from opening their embassies in the Muslim countries.&quot;

The Jammat chief urged the Pakistan government to convene a session of joint parliament to discuss the Jerusalem issue.

On Thursday, PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said he &nbsp;deeply regretted that pleas from states across the globe not to alter the &quot;legal and historical status&quot; of Al Quds Al Sharif have been ignored after President Trump announced the US administration was changing Jerusalem&#39;s status and moving its embassy to the holy site which Palestinians also claim is their home.

Trump had said the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital was &quot;long overdue&quot; even as NATO allies Britain and France called Trump&#39;s decision &quot;unhelpful&quot; and &quot;regrettable&quot;.

Protesters belonging to Majlis Wahdat ul Muslimeen, a hardline Islamist group, torched the US and Israeli flags in front of the US Consulate in Karachi

Just days after PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi condemned President Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, Pakistan's hardline political outfits took to the streets to protest against Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Protesters belonging to Majlis Wahdat ul Muslimeen(MWM), a hardline Islamist group, torched the US and Israeli flags in front of the US Consulate in Karachi. Several hundred Difa-e-Pakistan Council protesters, an umbrella organization of hardline political organization took to the streets in Karachi chanting "Death to America" holding anti-US banners. Last week, Jammat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed in his first public speech in Chauburji near Lahore had slammed the US move to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital saying: "Any Muslim country if opens its consulate in Jerusalem should be barred from opening their embassies in the Muslim countries." The Jammat chief urged the Pakistan government to convene a session of joint parliament to discuss the Jerusalem issue. On Thursday, PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said he deeply regretted that pleas from states across the globe not to alter the "legal and historical status" of Al Quds Al Sharif have been ignored after President Trump announced the US administration was changing Jerusalem's status and moving its embassy to the holy site which Palestinians also claim is their home. Trump had said the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital was "long overdue" even as NATO allies Britain and France called Trump's decision "unhelpful" and "regrettable".

Hardline groups in Pakistan protest against Trump's Jerusalem plan

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Arab Foreign Ministers collectively denounced on Saturday President Donald Trump&#39;s acceptance of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital. Ministers from across the region met in Cairo to discuss a response to Trump&#39;s announcement on Wednesday (December 6), which overturned decades of US policy towards the Middle East.

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&#39;Dangal&#39; Girl Zaira Wasim alleged molestation attempt by a man sitting behind her in a Delhi-Mumbai flight. The man allegedly touched her neck and her back repeatedly with his feet.&nbsp;In an Instagram post, she alleged that a middle-aged man sitting behind her on Delhi-Mumbai Vistara flight tried to molest her.

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a man on Saturday for allegedly having links with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The arrested person, identified as Tauseef Ahmed Malik, (25), is a resident of Pulwama district, according to the anti-terror investigation agency.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/kohli-rested-india-all-set-to-take-lanka-in-odi-series-opener-26341" target="_blank">Kohli rested, India all set to take Lanka in ODI series opener</a>

As the three-match One Day International (ODI) series between India and Sri Lanka begins on Sunday, the hosts will aim to attain the top spot at the ICC team rankings, whereas the visitors will look forward to tasting a win after the Test series loss.Though the Indian side &#39;run machine&#39; and regular skipper Virat Kohli has been rested for the series, it would still not be easy for Sri Lanka, as they will face the Men in Blue spearheaded by the most successful IPL captain Rohit Sharma, here at the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala in &quot;fresh air&quot;.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-should-not-harbour-any-illusion-about-gujarat-poll-result-bjp-26350" target="_blank">Congress should not harbour any illusion about Gujarat poll result: BJP</a>

With 68 per cent voter turnout in the first phase of Gujarat assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday expressed confidence over its victory, and said, now, Congress should not harbour any illusion about the result.

Arab foreign ministers say no peace without a 'free' Jerusalem Arab Foreign Ministers collectively denounced on Saturday President Donald Trump's acceptance of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Ministers from across the region met in Cairo to discuss a response to Trump's announcement on Wednesday (December 6), which overturned decades of US policy towards the Middle East. 'Dangal' Girl Zaira Wasim alleges molestation attempt in Delhi-Mumbai flight 'Dangal' Girl Zaira Wasim alleged molestation attempt by a man sitting behind her in a Delhi-Mumbai flight. The man allegedly touched her neck and her back repeatedly with his feet. In an Instagram post, she alleged that a middle-aged man sitting behind her on Delhi-Mumbai Vistara flight tried to molest her. NIA arrests Pulwama youth with LeT links The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a man on Saturday for allegedly having links with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The arrested person, identified as Tauseef Ahmed Malik, (25), is a resident of Pulwama district, according to the anti-terror investigation agency. Kohli rested, India all set to take Lanka in ODI series opener As the three-match One Day International (ODI) series between India and Sri Lanka begins on Sunday, the hosts will aim to attain the top spot at the ICC team rankings, whereas the visitors will look forward to tasting a win after the Test series loss.Though the Indian side 'run machine' and regular skipper Virat Kohli has been rested for the series, it would still not be easy for Sri Lanka, as they will face the Men in Blue spearheaded by the most successful IPL captain Rohit Sharma, here at the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala in "fresh air". Congress should not harbour any illusion about Gujarat poll result: BJP With 68 per cent voter turnout in the first phase of Gujarat assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday expressed confidence over its victory, and said, now, Congress should not harbour any illusion about the result.

WION Morning News Brief, 10 December 2017

&nbsp;Arab Foreign Ministers collectively denounced on Saturday President Donald Trump&#39;s acceptance of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital.

Ministers from across the region met in Cairo to discuss a response to Trump&#39;s announcement on Wednesday (December 6), which overturned decades of U.S. policy towards the Middle East.

Trump&#39;s recognition of Jerusalem has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies, who say it is a blow to peace efforts and risks sparking more violence in the region.

Israel maintains that all of Jerusalem is its capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state.

Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory, and say the status of the city should be left to be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Snub Pence

Meanwhile, it&#39;s learnt that&nbsp;Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to the region and there will be no communication between U.S. and Palestinian officials, Palestinian&nbsp;Foreign&nbsp;Minister Riyad Al-Maliki said on Saturday (December 9).

Maliki&#39;s comments were made before an&nbsp;Arab&nbsp;League meeting in Cairo to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump&#39;s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital and after Abbas said Washington could no longer be a peace broker.

Maliki added that the Palestinians will seek a U.N. Security Council resolution over Trump&#39;s decision.

Trump's recognition of Jerusalem has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies, who say it is a blow to peace efforts and risks sparking more violence in the region.

Arab Foreign Ministers collectively denounced on Saturday President Donald Trump's acceptance of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Ministers from across the region met in Cairo to discuss a response to Trump's announcement on Wednesday (December 6), which overturned decades of U.S. policy towards the Middle East. Trump's recognition of Jerusalem has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies, who say it is a blow to peace efforts and risks sparking more violence in the region. Israel maintains that all of Jerusalem is its capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory, and say the status of the city should be left to be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks. Snub Pence Meanwhile, it's learnt that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to the region and there will be no communication between U.S. and Palestinian officials, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki said on Saturday (December 9). Maliki's comments were made before an Arab League meeting in Cairo to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and after Abbas said Washington could no longer be a peace broker. Maliki added that the Palestinians will seek a U.N. Security Council resolution over Trump's decision.

Arab foreign ministers say no peace without a 'free' Jerusalem

North Korea has lambasted US President Donald Trump for recognising Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital, renewing its description of him as a &quot;dotard&quot; in a statement released Saturday on state media.

Trump and North Korea&#39;s leader Kim Jong-Un have traded threats of war and personal insults in recent months as tensions remain high over the North&#39;s missile and nuclear threats.

Now the hermit state has joined <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-cornered-on-jerusalem-move-in-united-nation-26295" target="_blank">near-universal condemnation</a> of the US president&#39;s decision on Jerusalem, calling it a &quot;reckless, wicked act&quot;.

&quot;Considering the fact that the mentally deranged dotard openly called for a total destruction of a sovereign state at the UN, this action is not so surprising&quot;, a foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the state-run KCNA news agency.

&quot;But this move clearly shows to the whole world who is the destroyer of world peace and security, pariah and rogue in the international community&quot;, he said, using epithets usually reserved for the North.

Trump&#39;s declaration Wednesday to recognise Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital and relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv sparked anger across the Muslim world, and drew expressions of concern and disapproval from US allies.

Trump has previously warned Pyongyang of &quot;fire and fury&quot;, telling the UN General Assembly that Washington would &quot;totally destroy North Korea&quot; if it had to defend itself or its allies.

Trump dubbed Kim &quot;Rocket Man&quot; in the same speech -- Pyongyang has tested missiles apparently capable of reaching much of the US mainland -- and days later Kim responded with a personal statement calling him a &quot;dotard&quot;, an obscure term for a weak or senile old man.

According to the latest KCNA statement, the North &quot;strongly condemns&quot; the US move to recognise Jerusalem as capital, and expressed &quot;firm support and solidarity for Palestinians and Arab peoples struggling to win their legitimate rights&quot;.

&quot;The US will be held accountable for all consequences from this reckless, wicked act&quot;, it added.

'Considering the fact that the mentally deranged dotard openly called for a total destruction of a sovereign state at the UN, this action is not so surprising,' a foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying

North Korea has lambasted US President Donald Trump for recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, renewing its description of him as a "dotard" in a statement released Saturday on state media. Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un have traded threats of war and personal insults in recent months as tensions remain high over the North's missile and nuclear threats. Now the hermit state has joined near-universal condemnation of the US president's decision on Jerusalem, calling it a "reckless, wicked act". "Considering the fact that the mentally deranged dotard openly called for a total destruction of a sovereign state at the UN, this action is not so surprising", a foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the state-run KCNA news agency. "But this move clearly shows to the whole world who is the destroyer of world peace and security, pariah and rogue in the international community", he said, using epithets usually reserved for the North. Trump's declaration Wednesday to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv sparked anger across the Muslim world, and drew expressions of concern and disapproval from US allies. Trump has previously warned Pyongyang of "fire and fury", telling the UN General Assembly that Washington would "totally destroy North Korea" if it had to defend itself or its allies. Trump dubbed Kim "Rocket Man" in the same speech -- Pyongyang has tested missiles apparently capable of reaching much of the US mainland -- and days later Kim responded with a personal statement calling him a "dotard", an obscure term for a weak or senile old man. According to the latest KCNA statement, the North "strongly condemns" the US move to recognise Jerusalem as capital, and expressed "firm support and solidarity for Palestinians and Arab peoples struggling to win their legitimate rights". "The US will be held accountable for all consequences from this reckless, wicked act", it added.

North Korea condemns 'mentally deranged dotard' Trump over Jerusalem

Turkey&#39;s leader is seeking to spearhead Islamic reaction to the US declaration on Jerusalem, but it is uncertain if he can coordinate a meaningful response among often disunited Muslim nations.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, had fulminated against President Donald Trump&#39;s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital even before it was officially announced this week.

Erdogan described the status of the city, whose eastern sector Palestinians see as the capital of their future state, as a &quot;red line&quot; for Muslims.

With Trump disregarding such warnings, the Turkish president used his position as the current chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to call a summit of the pan-Islamic group.

&quot;He is seeking to garner an international response,&quot; said Ziya Meral, resident fellow at the British Army&#39;s Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research, noting Erdogan had spoken to Muslim allies and non-Islamic leaders.

&quot;What Turkey can do tangibly next is far from clear and responses have risks for Erdogan and Turkey,&quot; he told AFP.&nbsp;

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, had fulminated against President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital even before it was officially announced this week

Turkey's leader is seeking to spearhead Islamic reaction to the US declaration on Jerusalem, but it is uncertain if he can coordinate a meaningful response among often disunited Muslim nations. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, had fulminated against President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital even before it was officially announced this week. Erdogan described the status of the city, whose eastern sector Palestinians see as the capital of their future state, as a "red line" for Muslims. With Trump disregarding such warnings, the Turkish president used his position as the current chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to call a summit of the pan-Islamic group. "He is seeking to garner an international response," said Ziya Meral, resident fellow at the British Army's Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research, noting Erdogan had spoken to Muslim allies and non-Islamic leaders. "What Turkey can do tangibly next is far from clear and responses have risks for Erdogan and Turkey," he told AFP.

Turkey's Erdogan seeks to lead Muslim response on Jerusalem

The United States today stood isolated in the powerful UN Security Council as the member nations cornered it on the decision of President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital.

Even its closest allies and partners like Britain and France came out openly lambasting it for the decision.

US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, was the sole voice supporting Trump&#39;s decision on Jerusalem during an emergency meeting held by the 15-membered powerful body of the UN this afternoon.

&quot;We disagree with the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to begin preparation to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.&quot;It is not in line with Security Council resolutions and is unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region,&quot; said Permanent Representatives of Britain, France, Italy, Germany, and Sweden in a joint statement.

The status of Jerusalem, they said, must be determined through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians leading to a final status agreement.

It is a constant position of EU members that, within this framework, Jerusalem should ultimately be the capital of both Israeli and Palestinian states. Until then, we recognise no sovereignty over Jerusalem, the five members of the UN Security Council said.

Britain and France are the permanent members of the Security Council.

The emergency meeting was presided over by the Ambassador of Japan, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for December.

Strongly defending Trump&#39;s decision, Haley told the UN Security Council that the US took the step in &quot;full knowledge that it will raise questions and concerns&quot;.

&quot;Our actions are intended to help advance the cause of peace. We must recognise that peace is advanced, not set back, when all parties are honest with each other. Our actions reflected an honest assessment of reality,&quot; she said.

&quot;The US recognises the obvious&nbsp;that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Trump has instructed the State Department to begin the process of relocating the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. That is what the President has done,&quot; Haley said.

She said the US has not taken a position on borders, and the sovereignty issue should be decided by Israelis and Palestinians through negotiations.

&quot;And this is what he has not done: The United States has not taken a position on boundaries or borders. The specific dimensions of sovereignty over Jerusalem are still to be decided by the Israelis and the Palestinians in negotiations, the US envoy said.

&quot;The US has not advocated changing any of the arrangements at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif. The President specifically called for maintaining the status quo at the holy sites,&quot; she added.

But her argument could not convince the rest of the 14 members of the Security Council, making it one of the rarest of the rare occasion when the United States stood isolated in the world body.

British Ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft said the status of Jerusalem is clear and long-standing -- it should be determined through a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states.

In line with Security Council Resolutions, Britain regards East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, he said.

&quot;We, therefore, disagree with the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel before a final status agreement,&quot; Rucroft said.

He said decisions like these are &quot;unhelpful&quot; to the prospects for peace in the region which is an aim that all of us in this Council remain committed to.

The British Embassy to Israel is based in Tel Aviv and we have no plans to move it, Rycroft said.

In his remarks Dr Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, said the &quot;extremely regrettable&quot; announcement, on 6 December, by Trump, in direct contravention of Security Council resolutions and the longstanding international consensus on Jerusalem, has heightened tensions and risks complete destabilisation of this volatile situation, with far-reaching consequences.

The Security Council, he said, must reaffirm its clear position on the status of Jerusalem and affirm its rejection of all violations of that status by &quot;whomever and whenever&quot;.

Security Council resolutions remain fully valid and must be implemented; these resolutions are the key to peace, Mansour said.

&quot;The Council must act to restore the Palestinian people&#39;s belief in international law as the most viable path the realisation of our rights and freedom, to restore our belief that peace is possible, and to ensure that not another generation will suffer this grave injustice,&quot; the Palestinian Ambassador said.

Israel&#39;s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, in his address, thanked Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Haley, saying that &quot;we are grateful to the United States for its courageous decision&quot;. 
Israel and Palestine are not members of the Security Council.

Addressing to the Council members, Danon held up a replica of a first-century coin.

&quot;I have here a replica of an ancient coin found on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It is dated from the year 67 AD during the time of the second Jewish Temple. The words &#39;Jerusalem the Holy&#39; are written on it. Only three years later, in the year 70 AD, would our holy temple be destroyed and the Jewish people sent into exile for 2,000 years&quot;.&nbsp;

The United States today stood isolated in the powerful UN Security Council as the member nations cornered it on the decision of President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital

The United States today stood isolated in the powerful UN Security Council as the member nations cornered it on the decision of President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Even its closest allies and partners like Britain and France came out openly lambasting it for the decision. US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, was the sole voice supporting Trump's decision on Jerusalem during an emergency meeting held by the 15-membered powerful body of the UN this afternoon. "We disagree with the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to begin preparation to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem."It is not in line with Security Council resolutions and is unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region," said Permanent Representatives of Britain, France, Italy, Germany, and Sweden in a joint statement. The status of Jerusalem, they said, must be determined through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians leading to a final status agreement. It is a constant position of EU members that, within this framework, Jerusalem should ultimately be the capital of both Israeli and Palestinian states. Until then, we recognise no sovereignty over Jerusalem, the five members of the UN Security Council said. Britain and France are the permanent members of the Security Council. The emergency meeting was presided over by the Ambassador of Japan, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for December. Strongly defending Trump's decision, Haley told the UN Security Council that the US took the step in "full knowledge that it will raise questions and concerns". "Our actions are intended to help advance the cause of peace. We must recognise that peace is advanced, not set back, when all parties are honest with each other. Our actions reflected an honest assessment of reality," she said. "The US recognises the obvious that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Trump has instructed the State Department to begin the process of relocating the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. That is what the President has done," Haley said. She said the US has not taken a position on borders, and the sovereignty issue should be decided by Israelis and Palestinians through negotiations. "And this is what he has not done: The United States has not taken a position on boundaries or borders. The specific dimensions of sovereignty over Jerusalem are still to be decided by the Israelis and the Palestinians in negotiations, the US envoy said. "The US has not advocated changing any of the arrangements at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif. The President specifically called for maintaining the status quo at the holy sites," she added. But her argument could not convince the rest of the 14 members of the Security Council, making it one of the rarest of the rare occasion when the United States stood isolated in the world body. British Ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft said the status of Jerusalem is clear and long-standing -- it should be determined through a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states. In line with Security Council Resolutions, Britain regards East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, he said. "We, therefore, disagree with the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel before a final status agreement," Rucroft said. He said decisions like these are "unhelpful" to the prospects for peace in the region which is an aim that all of us in this Council remain committed to. The British Embassy to Israel is based in Tel Aviv and we have no plans to move it, Rycroft said. In his remarks Dr Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, said the "extremely regrettable" announcement, on 6 December, by Trump, in direct contravention of Security Council resolutions and the longstanding international consensus on Jerusalem, has heightened tensions and risks complete destabilisation of this volatile situation, with far-reaching consequences. The Security Council, he said, must reaffirm its clear position on the status of Jerusalem and affirm its rejection of all violations of that status by "whomever and whenever". Security Council resolutions remain fully valid and must be implemented; these resolutions are the key to peace, Mansour said. "The Council must act to restore the Palestinian people's belief in international law as the most viable path the realisation of our rights and freedom, to restore our belief that peace is possible, and to ensure that not another generation will suffer this grave injustice," the Palestinian Ambassador said. Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, in his address, thanked Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Haley, saying that "we are grateful to the United States for its courageous decision". Israel and Palestine are not members of the Security Council. Addressing to the Council members, Danon held up a replica of a first-century coin. "I have here a replica of an ancient coin found on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It is dated from the year 67 AD during the time of the second Jewish Temple. The words 'Jerusalem the Holy' are written on it. Only three years later, in the year 70 AD, would our holy temple be destroyed and the Jewish people sent into exile for 2,000 years".

US cornered on Jerusalem move in United Nation

President Donald Trump will come good on election promises and shift the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city of Jerusalem. This is music to Israeli ears.&nbsp;

But Washington&rsquo;s European allies and the Islamic Middle East have condemned the move. Islamist groups around the world have asked people to take to the streets for a &#39;day of rage&#39;, travel advisories are being issued thick and fast. &nbsp;What is the unpredictable Mr Trump up to?

But WION got it right, hours before the President&rsquo;s speech. WION&rsquo;s senior Foreign Editor Padma Rao Sundarji analyses the least reported and most important part of the president&rsquo;s announcement.

Le shanah haba be Yerushalayim: Next year in Jerusalem.&nbsp;

That&rsquo;s what devout Jews have chanted for thousands of years at the end of Passover and Yom Kippur, two solemn Jewish holidays and continue to, in the Jewish state of Israel today.

But US&nbsp;President Donald Trump is a man in a hurry: he wants to shift the American embassy to Jerusalem. And, as the Americans say, he wants to do that not next year but &lsquo;asap.&rsquo;

Israel considers the ancient city of Jerusalem its capital; its parliament, the Knesset, is situated there, all official business is conducted in the city holy to three of the world&rsquo;s oldest faiths.

But Jerusalem is a divided city. &nbsp;Known as Al-Quds in Arabic, the section holiest to all Muslims falls in East Jerusalem: for it is here, from the Dome of the Rock, that the Prophet Mohammed is said to have ascended to the heavens on a white steed. &nbsp;

Consequently, the Palestinians have always claimed East Jerusalem as their real capital in vain and &ndash; the status of the city remains globally disputed. So what is Mr Trump trying to achieve by his announcement?

American analysts say that it is absurd to imagine that a shift of the American embassy will help solve the Middle East&rsquo;s longstanding conflict.&nbsp;

There is an American consulate in Jerusalem. If President Trump were really in a hurry, he only need change the nameplate on that building, they point out. Further, it&rsquo;s been nearly seventy years since the first US&nbsp;ambassador presented his credentials to Israel&rsquo;s government and promises to broker peace have been since made by one envoy after another.

Yet, peace between the Palestinians and Israelis remains a distant dream.

Hours ahead of Mr Trump&rsquo;s announcement last night, WION had reasoned that moving the embassy will not mean that the United States, through the move, recognizes Israel&rsquo;s claim that all of Jerusalem - both its Palestinian-dominated Eastern and Jewish Western sectors - is sovereign Israel territory. &nbsp;

And a section of Mr Trump&rsquo;s announcement that went largely unnoticed in the frenetic media coverage that followed it across the world, proved WION&rsquo;s prophecy right.

&ldquo;In making these announcements, I also want to make one point very clear,&rdquo; said Mr Trump, with a dramatic pause and deliberate emphasis.

&ldquo;This decision is not intended in any way to reflect a departure from our strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace agreement. We want an agreement that is a great deal for the Israelis and a great deal for the Palestinians. We are not taking a position on any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem or the resolution of contested borders. Those questions are up to the parties involved. The United States remains deeply committed to helping facilitate a peace agreement that is acceptable to both sides. I intend to do everything in my power to help forge such an agreement.&rdquo; 
&nbsp; 
Mr Trump could have easily glossed over territorial issues between Israel and Palestine without mentioning Jerusalem. Instead, he mentioned the city&rsquo;s divided status not once, but twice.

 
&ldquo;Without question, Jerusalem is one of the most sensitive issues in those talks,&rdquo; he continued.

&ldquo;The United States would support a two-state solution if agreed to by both sides.&rdquo; 
&nbsp; 
The American president also asked for the status quo at Jerusalem&rsquo;s Muslim and Jewish holy sites both on the Dome of the Rock to remain the same for now. &nbsp;This effectively opens a window of opportunity for the Palestinians to achieve what is core to their demand: East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital. &nbsp;

Finally: by &#39;leaving&#39; the resolution of Jerusalem&rsquo;s disputed status to the Israelis and Palestinians and welcoming the Two-States solution in the same -magnanimous -breath, &nbsp;the US President is also keeping an avenue open for the United States &ndash; speak, for the garrulous Mr Trump himself &ndash; to squeeze his large frame into the centre of that photo-op, if and when that happens.

But will it? Will both the Israelis and Palestinians see it as a now-or-never chance to settle their issues once and for all ? &nbsp; That&rsquo;s a question as eternal as the city of Jerusalem. But this time, the outlook seems positive. &nbsp;

 
Over a span of nearly thirty years, the Palestinians have gone from accepting no Jewish state to living as neighbors with one, from daily disturbances to a slightly less turbulent existence.Fundamentalist Palestinian organization, Hamas, is in the process of shedding its rebel clothing, demilitarizing and acquiring mainstream respectability.

And be it militant nationalists or moderate Palestinians, East Jerusalem has always been the emotional core of their demand. &nbsp;

There&#39;s another point worth noting in the President&#39;s announcement. Through his slowly and deliberately enunciated passage on the disputed status of the entire city of Jerusalem side-by-side with his recognition of Jerusalem (with &lsquo;West&rsquo; remaining the unsaid word), Mr Trump has subtly positioned himself on the same side as his allies like France and Germany who have criticized the move.

After all, there&rsquo;s hardly a country in the world with full diplomatic and trade relations with Israel that has not long &lsquo;recognized&rsquo; Israel&rsquo;s sovereignty over West Jerusalem. Otherwise, the Israel government&rsquo;s mere operation out of West Jerusalem would long emerged as a key bone of contention in every international forum. 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Will there be a Muslim backlash to Mr Trump&rsquo;s announcement in the Middle East?

Elsewhere in the Middle East, governments have slammed the American president. Yet, most will likely spot that slightly-opened window and keep up protests -but under temperature control - as a key negotiating tool. &nbsp;

 
And what about Islamist terror groups? They&rsquo;ve been on decades-long killing sprees against the &ldquo;Satanic&rdquo;, US-led western bloc&rsquo;s global war against terror and it&rsquo;s been quite a while since any of them mentioned Jerusalem.

To them, this announcement will make little difference. They will merely add the Zionist Enemy to the Satanic West - and the killings and lone wolf attacks will continue. And they, too, may be temperature-controlled by Saudi Arabia, the country said to be the fountainhead for all Waha&rsquo;bi terrorism.

Sunni Saudi Arabia and Jewish Israel have no diplomatic relations. As home to the holiest sites of Islam itself, Saudi Arabia must officially support the Palestinian demand for East Jerusalem &ndash; the home of the Al-Aqsa mosque - of course.

As expected, &nbsp;Riyadh offered sharp and immediate condemnation of President Trump&rsquo;s announcement. &nbsp;But, there&rsquo;s a twist.

Israel and Saudi Arabia have been making overtures towards each other for years. And though for different reasons, Israel and Sunni Saudi Arabia have a common bogeyman: Shia Iran. &nbsp;

There&rsquo;s an old saying that may well have originated in the stormy sands: &quot;my enemy&rsquo;s enemy is my best friend.&#39;&#39; It would surprise no one if Riyadh &lsquo;informed&rsquo; Jerusalem, before slamming President Trump in public.

And as over the past seventy years with fledgling friendships that later developed into full-blown relationships (see India), the Israelis must have nodded in understanding.

 
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dSjRmUrmloI" width="560"></iframe> 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

WION?s accurate prediction ahead of President Trump?s speech

President Donald Trump will come good on election promises and shift the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city of Jerusalem. This is music to Israeli ears. But Washington’s European allies and the Islamic Middle East have condemned the move. Islamist groups around the world have asked people to take to the streets for a 'day of rage', travel advisories are being issued thick and fast. What is the unpredictable Mr Trump up to? But WION got it right, hours before the President’s speech. WION’s senior Foreign Editor Padma Rao Sundarji analyses the least reported and most important part of the president’s announcement. Le shanah haba be Yerushalayim: Next year in Jerusalem. That’s what devout Jews have chanted for thousands of years at the end of Passover and Yom Kippur, two solemn Jewish holidays and continue to, in the Jewish state of Israel today. But US President Donald Trump is a man in a hurry: he wants to shift the American embassy to Jerusalem. And, as the Americans say, he wants to do that not next year but ‘asap.’ Israel considers the ancient city of Jerusalem its capital; its parliament, the Knesset, is situated there, all official business is conducted in the city holy to three of the world’s oldest faiths. But Jerusalem is a divided city. Known as Al-Quds in Arabic, the section holiest to all Muslims falls in East Jerusalem: for it is here, from the Dome of the Rock, that the Prophet Mohammed is said to have ascended to the heavens on a white steed. Consequently, the Palestinians have always claimed East Jerusalem as their real capital in vain and – the status of the city remains globally disputed. So what is Mr Trump trying to achieve by his announcement? American analysts say that it is absurd to imagine that a shift of the American embassy will help solve the Middle East’s longstanding conflict. There is an American consulate in Jerusalem. If President Trump were really in a hurry, he only need change the nameplate on that building, they point out. Further, it’s been nearly seventy years since the first US ambassador presented his credentials to Israel’s government and promises to broker peace have been since made by one envoy after another. Yet, peace between the Palestinians and Israelis remains a distant dream. Hours ahead of Mr Trump’s announcement last night, WION had reasoned that moving the embassy will not mean that the United States, through the move, recognizes Israel’s claim that all of Jerusalem - both its Palestinian-dominated Eastern and Jewish Western sectors - is sovereign Israel territory. And a section of Mr Trump’s announcement that went largely unnoticed in the frenetic media coverage that followed it across the world, proved WION’s prophecy right. “In making these announcements, I also want to make one point very clear,” said Mr Trump, with a dramatic pause and deliberate emphasis. “This decision is not intended in any way to reflect a departure from our strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace agreement. We want an agreement that is a great deal for the Israelis and a great deal for the Palestinians. We are not taking a position on any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem or the resolution of contested borders. Those questions are up to the parties involved. The United States remains deeply committed to helping facilitate a peace agreement that is acceptable to both sides. I intend to do everything in my power to help forge such an agreement.” Mr Trump could have easily glossed over territorial issues between Israel and Palestine without mentioning Jerusalem. Instead, he mentioned the city’s divided status not once, but twice. “Without question, Jerusalem is one of the most sensitive issues in those talks,” he continued. “The United States would support a two-state solution if agreed to by both sides.” The American president also asked for the status quo at Jerusalem’s Muslim and Jewish holy sites both on the Dome of the Rock to remain the same for now. This effectively opens a window of opportunity for the Palestinians to achieve what is core to their demand: East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital. Finally: by 'leaving' the resolution of Jerusalem’s disputed status to the Israelis and Palestinians and welcoming the Two-States solution in the same -magnanimous -breath, the US President is also keeping an avenue open for the United States – speak, for the garrulous Mr Trump himself – to squeeze his large frame into the centre of that photo-op, if and when that happens. But will it? Will both the Israelis and Palestinians see it as a now-or-never chance to settle their issues once and for all ? That’s a question as eternal as the city of Jerusalem. But this time, the outlook seems positive. Over a span of nearly thirty years, the Palestinians have gone from accepting no Jewish state to living as neighbors with one, from daily disturbances to a slightly less turbulent existence.Fundamentalist Palestinian organization, Hamas, is in the process of shedding its rebel clothing, demilitarizing and acquiring mainstream respectability. And be it militant nationalists or moderate Palestinians, East Jerusalem has always been the emotional core of their demand. There's another point worth noting in the President's announcement. Through his slowly and deliberately enunciated passage on the disputed status of the entire city of Jerusalem side-by-side with his recognition of Jerusalem (with ‘West’ remaining the unsaid word), Mr Trump has subtly positioned himself on the same side as his allies like France and Germany who have criticized the move. After all, there’s hardly a country in the world with full diplomatic and trade relations with Israel that has not long ‘recognized’ Israel’s sovereignty over West Jerusalem. Otherwise, the Israel government’s mere operation out of West Jerusalem would long emerged as a key bone of contention in every international forum. Will there be a Muslim backlash to Mr Trump’s announcement in the Middle East? Elsewhere in the Middle East, governments have slammed the American president. Yet, most will likely spot that slightly-opened window and keep up protests -but under temperature control - as a key negotiating tool. And what about Islamist terror groups? They’ve been on decades-long killing sprees against the “Satanic”, US-led western bloc’s global war against terror and it’s been quite a while since any of them mentioned Jerusalem. To them, this announcement will make little difference. They will merely add the Zionist Enemy to the Satanic West - and the killings and lone wolf attacks will continue. And they, too, may be temperature-controlled by Saudi Arabia, the country said to be the fountainhead for all Waha’bi terrorism. Sunni Saudi Arabia and Jewish Israel have no diplomatic relations. As home to the holiest sites of Islam itself, Saudi Arabia must officially support the Palestinian demand for East Jerusalem – the home of the Al-Aqsa mosque - of course. As expected, Riyadh offered sharp and immediate condemnation of President Trump’s announcement. But, there’s a twist. Israel and Saudi Arabia have been making overtures towards each other for years. And though for different reasons, Israel and Sunni Saudi Arabia have a common bogeyman: Shia Iran. There’s an old saying that may well have originated in the stormy sands: "my enemy’s enemy is my best friend.'' It would surprise no one if Riyadh ‘informed’ Jerusalem, before slamming President Trump in public. And as over the past seventy years with fledgling friendships that later developed into full-blown relationships (see India), the Israelis must have nodded in understanding.

In four years in Jerusalem...

President Trump&rsquo;s announcement on Wednesday, Nov. 6 that the U.S. would recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel received widespread criticism. Observers quickly recognised the decision as related not so much to national security concerns as to domestic US politics and promises candidate Trump made to his evangelical supporters, who welcomed the announcement.

Historian Diana Butler Bass posted on Twitter:

<blockquote>
&ldquo;Of all the possible theological dog-whistles to his evangelical base, this is the biggest. Trump is reminding them that he is carrying out God&rsquo;s will to these Last Days.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

It is true that evangelicals have often noted that their support for Trump is based on their conviction that God can use the unlikeliest of men to enact his will. But how did conservative American Christians become invested in such a fine point of Middle East policy as to whether the US Embassy is in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem?

For many of President Trump&rsquo;s evangelical supporters, this is a key step in the progression of events leading to the second coming of Jesus. There&rsquo;s an interesting story as to how that came to be.

Ushering in the kingdom of God

The nation of Israel and the role of the city of Jerusalem are central in the &ldquo;end-times&rdquo; theology &ndash; a form of what is known as &ldquo;pre-millennialism&rdquo; &ndash; embraced by many American conservative Protestants.

While this theology is often thought of as a &ldquo;literal&rdquo; reading of the Bible, it&rsquo;s actually a reasonably new interpretation that dates to the 19th century and relates to the work of Bible teacher John Nelson Darby.

According to Darby, for this to happen the Jewish people must have control of Jerusalem and build a third Jewish temple on the site where the first and second temples &ndash; destroyed centuries ago by the Babylonians and Romans &ndash; once were. In Darby&rsquo;s view, this was a necessary precursor to the rapture, when believers would be &ldquo;taken up&rdquo; by Christ to escape the worst of the seven-year-period of suffering and turmoil on Earth: The Great Tribulation. This is to be followed by the cosmic battle between good and evil called Armageddon at which Satan will be defeated and Christ will establish his earthly kingdom. All of this became eminently more possible when the modern state of Israel was established in the 1940s.

But to understand the power of this way of looking at the world, it is necessary to do more than point to theological tenets. It is their dissemination through the culture that determines which thought systems take hold and which ones are lost to history.

As an author of &ldquo;Building God&rsquo;s Kingdom,&rdquo; I focus on various aspects of conservative American Protestantism in American culture and politics. In my research, I have seen how some thought systems get lost in history and others take hold.

Here is what happened with the end-time narrative that made it a core undercurrent to how these Christians look at the world and history.

The origins of this narrative

The end-times framework was popularised in the 1970s with an inexpensive and widely available paperback by evangelist and Christian writer Hal Lindsey called &ldquo;The Late Great Planet Earth.&rdquo; Lindsey argued that the establishment of the state of Israel in the 1940s set up a chain of events that would lead to Jesus&rsquo;s return.

He calculated a date for that return in the 1980s. Lindsey, like many end-times prognosticators before him, argued that he lived in the &ldquo;first time in history&rdquo; when the biblical prophecies could possibly be fulfilled. This, he thought, was due in large part to the reestablishment of Israel.

Despite his claim to be reading the Bible literally, Lindsey&rsquo;s interpretation was far from literal. He said, for example, that the locusts predicted in one of the plagues in the book of Revelation were &ldquo;really&rdquo; helicopters.

As adults were reading Lindsey&rsquo;s book, a generation of young people watched an &ldquo;evangelistic&rdquo; film, &ldquo;A Thief in the Night,&rdquo; in church services and youth group meetings.

Beginning with an ominous ticking clock, the film begins at the rapture. It shows how all the faithful Christians suddenly disappeared. For those who remained, there was one more chance to accept the Gospel but that chance required living through extreme persecution. 
The film scared young people into conversion by depicting the experiences of these young Christians who were suffering because they had arrogantly dismissed warnings from their friends, families and churches to repent and had missed the rapture.

According to scholar Amy Frykholm, an estimated 50 million to 300 million people viewed &ldquo;A Thief in the Night.&rdquo;

The end-times and the culture wars

The use of popular media to spread a terrifying vision of the end of history to draw young people into repentance continued in the 1980s with the apocalyptic novels of Frank Peretti. The Peretti novels depicted a vibrant and active spiritual world in which cosmic forces of good and evil were vying for supremacy all around us.

As the book presented it, every person is obliged to play a part for one side or the other in very literal ways. This applies to all people: &ldquo;True Christians&rdquo; were meant to fight on God&rsquo;s side, and the rest on the side of Satan. The first of these was called &ldquo;This Present Darkness.&rdquo;

Though clearly recognised as fictional, these books were also perceived as &ldquo;real.&rdquo; For example, while the seat of the diabolical scheming was the fictional local college and the chief antagonist was a fictional professor, it wasn&rsquo;t lost on readers that they were to perceive colleges and professors as likely enemies.

The depiction of literal &ldquo;good guys&rdquo; and &ldquo;bad guys&rdquo; as regular people aligned with God and Satan, respectively, played into the increasingly divisive culture war battles of the time. These books were powerful and effective until a decade later when they were replaced in a popular Christian culture by the &ldquo;Left Behind&rdquo; series, co-authored by culture warrior Tim LaHaye.

These 16 books and four films, released over the course of a decade, also trace the lives of the late-coming believers who had missed the rapture and were now part of the &ldquo;Tribulation Force,&rdquo; as they endured the post-rapture world and sought to remain faithful despite persecution. The series&rsquo; successes included a New York Times best-seller, while seven others set sales records. The entire series sold more than 65 million copies.

It&rsquo;s impossible to overemphasise the effects of this framework on those within the circles of evangelicalism where it is popular. A growing number of young people who have left evangelicalism point to end-times theology as a key component of the subculture they left. They call themselves &ldquo;exvangelicals&rdquo; and label teachings like this as abusive.

It&rsquo;s hard to get away from the invocation of mythic narratives in American politics. They get used often and are invented and reinvented to be deployed at different times in history. While supporters and opponents of the Trump announcement agree that the results might be cataclysmic, some of the supporters are happy. That is because they are reading it through a lens that promises the return of Jesus and the establishment of God&rsquo;s kingdom.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-trumps-evangelical-supporters-welcome-his-move-on-jerusalem-88775" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" target="blank">original article</a>.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Many American evangelicals believe that the establishment and protection of Israel set up a chain of the event for the return of Jesus.

President Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, Nov. 6 that the U.S. would recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel received widespread criticism. Observers quickly recognised the decision as related not so much to national security concerns as to domestic US politics and promises candidate Trump made to his evangelical supporters, who welcomed the announcement. Historian Diana Butler Bass posted on Twitter: “Of all the possible theological dog-whistles to his evangelical base, this is the biggest. Trump is reminding them that he is carrying out God’s will to these Last Days.” It is true that evangelicals have often noted that their support for Trump is based on their conviction that God can use the unlikeliest of men to enact his will. But how did conservative American Christians become invested in such a fine point of Middle East policy as to whether the US Embassy is in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem? For many of President Trump’s evangelical supporters, this is a key step in the progression of events leading to the second coming of Jesus. There’s an interesting story as to how that came to be. Ushering in the kingdom of God The nation of Israel and the role of the city of Jerusalem are central in the “end-times” theology – a form of what is known as “pre-millennialism” – embraced by many American conservative Protestants. While this theology is often thought of as a “literal” reading of the Bible, it’s actually a reasonably new interpretation that dates to the 19th century and relates to the work of Bible teacher John Nelson Darby. According to Darby, for this to happen the Jewish people must have control of Jerusalem and build a third Jewish temple on the site where the first and second temples – destroyed centuries ago by the Babylonians and Romans – once were. In Darby’s view, this was a necessary precursor to the rapture, when believers would be “taken up” by Christ to escape the worst of the seven-year-period of suffering and turmoil on Earth: The Great Tribulation. This is to be followed by the cosmic battle between good and evil called Armageddon at which Satan will be defeated and Christ will establish his earthly kingdom. All of this became eminently more possible when the modern state of Israel was established in the 1940s. But to understand the power of this way of looking at the world, it is necessary to do more than point to theological tenets. It is their dissemination through the culture that determines which thought systems take hold and which ones are lost to history. As an author of “Building God’s Kingdom,” I focus on various aspects of conservative American Protestantism in American culture and politics. In my research, I have seen how some thought systems get lost in history and others take hold. Here is what happened with the end-time narrative that made it a core undercurrent to how these Christians look at the world and history. The origins of this narrative The end-times framework was popularised in the 1970s with an inexpensive and widely available paperback by evangelist and Christian writer Hal Lindsey called “The Late Great Planet Earth.” Lindsey argued that the establishment of the state of Israel in the 1940s set up a chain of events that would lead to Jesus’s return. He calculated a date for that return in the 1980s. Lindsey, like many end-times prognosticators before him, argued that he lived in the “first time in history” when the biblical prophecies could possibly be fulfilled. This, he thought, was due in large part to the reestablishment of Israel. Despite his claim to be reading the Bible literally, Lindsey’s interpretation was far from literal. He said, for example, that the locusts predicted in one of the plagues in the book of Revelation were “really” helicopters. As adults were reading Lindsey’s book, a generation of young people watched an “evangelistic” film, “A Thief in the Night,” in church services and youth group meetings. Beginning with an ominous ticking clock, the film begins at the rapture. It shows how all the faithful Christians suddenly disappeared. For those who remained, there was one more chance to accept the Gospel but that chance required living through extreme persecution. The film scared young people into conversion by depicting the experiences of these young Christians who were suffering because they had arrogantly dismissed warnings from their friends, families and churches to repent and had missed the rapture. According to scholar Amy Frykholm, an estimated 50 million to 300 million people viewed “A Thief in the Night.” The end-times and the culture wars The use of popular media to spread a terrifying vision of the end of history to draw young people into repentance continued in the 1980s with the apocalyptic novels of Frank Peretti. The Peretti novels depicted a vibrant and active spiritual world in which cosmic forces of good and evil were vying for supremacy all around us. As the book presented it, every person is obliged to play a part for one side or the other in very literal ways. This applies to all people: “True Christians” were meant to fight on God’s side, and the rest on the side of Satan. The first of these was called “This Present Darkness.” Though clearly recognised as fictional, these books were also perceived as “real.” For example, while the seat of the diabolical scheming was the fictional local college and the chief antagonist was a fictional professor, it wasn’t lost on readers that they were to perceive colleges and professors as likely enemies. The depiction of literal “good guys” and “bad guys” as regular people aligned with God and Satan, respectively, played into the increasingly divisive culture war battles of the time. These books were powerful and effective until a decade later when they were replaced in a popular Christian culture by the “Left Behind” series, co-authored by culture warrior Tim LaHaye. These 16 books and four films, released over the course of a decade, also trace the lives of the late-coming believers who had missed the rapture and were now part of the “Tribulation Force,” as they endured the post-rapture world and sought to remain faithful despite persecution. The series’ successes included a New York Times best-seller, while seven others set sales records. The entire series sold more than 65 million copies. It’s impossible to overemphasise the effects of this framework on those within the circles of evangelicalism where it is popular. A growing number of young people who have left evangelicalism point to end-times theology as a key component of the subculture they left. They call themselves “exvangelicals” and label teachings like this as abusive. It’s hard to get away from the invocation of mythic narratives in American politics. They get used often and are invented and reinvented to be deployed at different times in history. While supporters and opponents of the Trump announcement agree that the results might be cataclysmic, some of the supporters are happy. That is because they are reading it through a lens that promises the return of Jesus and the establishment of God’s kingdom. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Why Trump's supporters welcome his move on Jerusalem

I never thought I&#39;d be saying this, but Donald Trump, for once, is making sense. &quot;We cannot solve problems by making the same failed assumptions. Old problems need new solutions&quot;, he said.&nbsp; It was a pleasant change to see him sticking to the script. (It&#39;s time the world recognised the virtues of the teleprompter too!) Low on his trademark garbled rhetoric, more coherent. He declared his commitment to achieving peace, announcing the shift of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognised the latter as the capital of Israel.

Bad in law, unjust to the Palestinians, unfair on the part of a mediator, a blow to decades of US foreign policy, diplomatic arson, the kiss of death for peace - the naysayers have spared no effort in crafting the choicest expressions of criticism. And yet, the move makes sense.

Did anyone have illusions about where the American loyalties lay in this conflict? Others pretended to be fair, Trump wore his bias on his sleeve.

Did the so-called peace process make any tangible progress when America stuck to the previous strategy of maintaining a precarious balance? Previous Presidents failed. There&#39;s nothing to suggest that Trump&#39;s advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner&#39;s efforts and visits had made any headway.

Will the Arab world and America&#39;s European allies do anything beyond the token protests? The EU is mulling pushing for the Palestinian capital in Jerusalem. Only, Jerusalem is under Israeli control and under the current circumstances, the idea is impractical.

The Arab League is meeting&nbsp;on Saturday, but it&#39;s going through the motions. The Sunni states, led by Saudi Arabia see Israel as a potential partner, no more a pariah, as they prepare to deal with the perceived threat from Iran. There are elements who care about the &quot;Palestinian cause&quot; but no Arab ally of Ramallah has offered more than lip service for a while now.

Protests have begun, there&#39;s a call for another intifada or uprising by Hamas leader Ismail Haniya. But can the decision of one sovereign nation to recognise the right of another sovereign nation to determine its capital be held hostage to threats of protests?

To Trump&#39;s credit, he has made good on an election promise that most of his predecessors broke. Yes, he undermines America&#39;s stature as a peace broker. Yes, it&#39;s a gamble. But it&#39;s a better bet than seven decades of a bloody status quo which, by the way, is also a misnomer. The American President promised an unconventional approach to policymaking and governance. He&#39;s doing it. Shifting the orbit. Jolting a system. If the gambit doesn&#39;t pay off, you cannot accuse him of not having tried.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Donald Trump is shifting the orbit. Jolting a system. If the gambit doesn't pay off, you cannot accuse him of not having tried.

I never thought I'd be saying this, but Donald Trump, for once, is making sense. "We cannot solve problems by making the same failed assumptions. Old problems need new solutions", he said. It was a pleasant change to see him sticking to the script. (It's time the world recognised the virtues of the teleprompter too!) Low on his trademark garbled rhetoric, more coherent. He declared his commitment to achieving peace, announcing the shift of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognised the latter as the capital of Israel. Bad in law, unjust to the Palestinians, unfair on the part of a mediator, a blow to decades of US foreign policy, diplomatic arson, the kiss of death for peace - the naysayers have spared no effort in crafting the choicest expressions of criticism. And yet, the move makes sense. Did anyone have illusions about where the American loyalties lay in this conflict? Others pretended to be fair, Trump wore his bias on his sleeve. Did the so-called peace process make any tangible progress when America stuck to the previous strategy of maintaining a precarious balance? Previous Presidents failed. There's nothing to suggest that Trump's advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner's efforts and visits had made any headway. Will the Arab world and America's European allies do anything beyond the token protests? The EU is mulling pushing for the Palestinian capital in Jerusalem. Only, Jerusalem is under Israeli control and under the current circumstances, the idea is impractical. The Arab League is meeting on Saturday, but it's going through the motions. The Sunni states, led by Saudi Arabia see Israel as a potential partner, no more a pariah, as they prepare to deal with the perceived threat from Iran. There are elements who care about the "Palestinian cause" but no Arab ally of Ramallah has offered more than lip service for a while now. Protests have begun, there's a call for another intifada or uprising by Hamas leader Ismail Haniya. But can the decision of one sovereign nation to recognise the right of another sovereign nation to determine its capital be held hostage to threats of protests? To Trump's credit, he has made good on an election promise that most of his predecessors broke. Yes, he undermines America's stature as a peace broker. Yes, it's a gamble. But it's a better bet than seven decades of a bloody status quo which, by the way, is also a misnomer. The American President promised an unconventional approach to policymaking and governance. He's doing it. Shifting the orbit. Jolting a system. If the gambit doesn't pay off, you cannot accuse him of not having tried. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Trump's orbit shift, this year in Jerusalem

A second Palestinian protestor was killed <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-embassy-wont-be-moving-to-jerusalem-in-next-two-years-tillerson-26270">in clashes with Israeli troops as violent </a>riots erupted in West Bank after US President Donald Trump&nbsp;announced yesterday to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Palestinians observed Friday<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/in-four-years-in-jerusalem-26154"> as the &quot;day of rage&quot; as an </a>unidentified man was killed in clashes in northern Gaza.

&nbsp;The Israeli army said hundreds of Palestinians were rolling burning tyres and throwing rocks at soldiers across the border, Reuters said.

More than 80 Palestinians were wounded in the occupied West Bank and Gaza by Israeli live fire and rubber bullets, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service.

As Friday prayers ended at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, worshippers made their way toward the walled Old City gates, chanting &quot;Jerusalem is ours, Jerusalem is our capital,&quot; and &quot;We don&#39;t need empty words, we need stones and Kalashnikovs&quot;.&nbsp;

In Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus, dozens of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers who fired back with tear gas.

Thousands of more demonstrators took to the streets across the Arab world against President Trump&#39;s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Large demonstrations also took place in Jordan, Tunisia, Cairo, Somalia, Yemen, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Meanwhile, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said: &quot;With respect to the rest of Jerusalem, the president ... did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem. He was very clear that the final status, including the borders, would be left to the two parties to negotiate and decide.&quot; 
&nbsp;

The Israeli army said hundreds of Palestinians were rolling burning tyres and throwing rocks at soldiers across the border

A second Palestinian protestor was killed in clashes with Israeli troops as violent riots erupted in West Bank after US President Donald Trump announced yesterday to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. Palestinians observed Friday as the "day of rage" as an unidentified man was killed in clashes in northern Gaza. The Israeli army said hundreds of Palestinians were rolling burning tyres and throwing rocks at soldiers across the border, Reuters said. More than 80 Palestinians were wounded in the occupied West Bank and Gaza by Israeli live fire and rubber bullets, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service. As Friday prayers ended at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, worshippers made their way toward the walled Old City gates, chanting "Jerusalem is ours, Jerusalem is our capital," and "We don't need empty words, we need stones and Kalashnikovs". In Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus, dozens of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers who fired back with tear gas. Thousands of more demonstrators took to the streets across the Arab world against President Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Large demonstrations also took place in Jordan, Tunisia, Cairo, Somalia, Yemen, Malaysia and Indonesia. Meanwhile, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said: "With respect to the rest of Jerusalem, the president ... did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem. He was very clear that the final status, including the borders, would be left to the two parties to negotiate and decide."

Watch: Another protestor killed as Palestinians clash with Israeli troops in West Bank

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-dangles-middle-east-peace-plan-to-limit-jerusalem-outcry-26170">Trump dangles Middle East peace plan to limit Jerusalem outcry</a>

When President Donald Trump told the Palestinian president of his intention to recognise Jerusalem as Israel&rsquo;s capital, he assured him a peace plan being put together would please the Palestinians, officials said, an apparent effort to limit fallout over his break with longtime U.S. policy.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/mattis-meeting-with-pakistan-leaders-was-to-find-common-ground-in-fight-against-terror-pentagon-chief-spokesperson-dana-white-26164">Mattis meeting with Pakistan leaders was to find common ground in fight against terror: Pentagon</a>

The meeting of US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis with the leaders of Pakistan during his visit to Islamabad early this week was to find common ground in the fight against terrorism, the Pentagon said today.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/ronaldo-pips-messi-to-win-ballon-dor-for-joint-record-fifth-time-26168">Ronaldo pips Messi to win Ballon </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/ronaldo-pips-messi-to-win-ballon-dor-for-joint-record-fifth-time-26168">d&#39;&#39;Or</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/ronaldo-pips-messi-to-win-ballon-dor-for-joint-record-fifth-time-26168"> for joint-record fifth time</a>

Portugal`s Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded the Ballon d`Or for world player of the year on Thursday for a joint-record fifth time, going level with eternal rival and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi as the player to have won the prize the most times.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/democratic-us-senator-franken-says-he-will-resign-over-sexual-misconduct-allegations-26174">The Democratic US Senator Franken says he will resign over sexual misconduct allegations</a>

Democratic US Senator Al Franken announced his resignation from office on Thursday, bowing to pressure from party colleagues after a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/banks-failed-to-evaluate-credit-worthiness-of-kingfisher-airlines-mallyas-team-26172">Banks failed to evaluate credit-worthiness of Kingfisher Airlines: Mallya&#39;s team</a>

An expert witness called by Vijay Mallya&#39;s defence team on Thursday described as &quot;superficial&quot; the processes employed by banks to grant loans totalling more than Rs 2,000 crore to now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines in 2009.

 
&nbsp;

Washington's major Western and Arab allies have warned that Trump's decision on Jerusalem could doom attempts to achieve what the U.S. president has called the ?ultimate deal? of Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Trump dangles Middle East peace plan to limit Jerusalem outcry When President Donald Trump told the Palestinian president of his intention to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, he assured him a peace plan being put together would please the Palestinians, officials said, an apparent effort to limit fallout over his break with longtime U.S. policy. Mattis meeting with Pakistan leaders was to find common ground in fight against terror: Pentagon The meeting of US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis with the leaders of Pakistan during his visit to Islamabad early this week was to find common ground in the fight against terrorism, the Pentagon said today. Ronaldo pips Messi to win Ballon d''Or for joint-record fifth time Portugal`s Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded the Ballon d`Or for world player of the year on Thursday for a joint-record fifth time, going level with eternal rival and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi as the player to have won the prize the most times. The Democratic US Senator Franken says he will resign over sexual misconduct allegations Democratic US Senator Al Franken announced his resignation from office on Thursday, bowing to pressure from party colleagues after a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him. Banks failed to evaluate credit-worthiness of Kingfisher Airlines: Mallya's team An expert witness called by Vijay Mallya's defence team on Thursday described as "superficial" the processes employed by banks to grant loans totalling more than Rs 2,000 crore to now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines in 2009.

WION Morning News Brief, December 8, 2017

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday warned regional powers against meddling in Lebanon at an international meeting aimed at fending off pressure on the fragile country from rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attended the talks in Paris with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, whose shock resignation last month - which he has since rescinded - sparked fears of a new crisis in the Middle East.

Opening the meeting, Macron said it was &quot;essential that all of the parties in Lebanon and regional actors respect the cardinal principle of non-interference&quot; in the affairs of other countries.

Representatives from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with Germany, Italy and Egypt, were present for the show of support for Lebanon, which took place against the backdrop of rising tensions in the Middle East.

Hariri and Macron both emphasised their opposition to US President Donald Trump&#39;s announcement Wednesday that he would move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

&quot;It complicates the peace process even more (between Israel and the Palestinians) and creates a new challenge to regional security,&quot; Hariri said in opening remarks at the meeting.

Macron added: &quot;None of the region&#39;s problems will be resolved by unilateral decisions or the strongest imposing their will.&quot;&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Muslim country, is suspected of having pressured Hariri, a longtime ally, to resign as part of its attempts to counter the growing influence of Iran, a Shia Muslim power.

The Saudi kingdom and other Arab states accuse Iran of using armed proxies such as Lebanon&#39;s powerful Hezbollah movement to advance its interests, from Lebanon to Yemen to Syria and Iraq.

In a televised resignation statement from Riyadh on November 4, Hariri accused Tehran and Hezbollah - which has ministers in Hariri&#39;s government - of destabilising his country and the region.&nbsp;

A Lebanese source close to Hariri told AFP that the premier travelled to Riyadh believing he was going to discuss economic projects but instead &quot;found himself faced with a list of economic sanctions brandished by the Saudis against Lebanon.&quot;

Hariri remained in Riyadh for two weeks afterwards, fuelling speculation that he was being held hostage.

Macron then intervened, inviting Hariri to Paris for talks, after which he returned home to a hero&#39;s welcome. Two weeks later, he withdrew his resignation.

The meeting ended with plans for three follow-up conferences: one in Paris in early 2018 on boosting investment in Lebanon; another in Rome on building up Lebanon`s regular army; and a third in Brussels on helping the roughly 1.5 million Syrian refugees that have fled there.

&quot;Lebanon&#39;s stability is not only crucial for its inhabitants but for the entire region,&quot; Macron said Friday, demanding that the sovereignty of the small multifaith country, long a proxy battleground between its bigger neighbours, be respected.

Hariri said the fragile stability enjoyed by his country, which neighbours Syria, &quot;appeared like a small miracle&quot; in a region torn by the Syrian, Iraqi and Yemeni conflicts.

&quot;The desire of all in Lebanon is to save our democracy,&quot; he said.

Riyadh&#39;s power play in Lebanon backfired, with the various Lebanese factions coming together in order to avoid a political breakdown.

Hariri announced Tuesday that he would stay on as premier after cabinet members - including from Hezbollah - issued a joint statement to reaffirm their commitment to stay out of regional conflicts.

&quot;Lebanon will respect this principle of keeping its distance (from trouble beyond its borders). You will see,&quot; he vowed Friday, insisting there was &quot;no crisis between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia&quot;.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the principle &quot;applied to all, both inside and outside (Lebanon).&quot;

The International Support Group for Lebanon was launched in September 2013 partly in response to the huge influx of refugees from Syria.

Hariri and Macron both emphasised their opposition to US President Donald Trump's announcement on Wednesday that he would move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday warned regional powers against meddling in Lebanon at an international meeting aimed at fending off pressure on the fragile country from rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attended the talks in Paris with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, whose shock resignation last month - which he has since rescinded - sparked fears of a new crisis in the Middle East. Opening the meeting, Macron said it was "essential that all of the parties in Lebanon and regional actors respect the cardinal principle of non-interference" in the affairs of other countries. Representatives from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with Germany, Italy and Egypt, were present for the show of support for Lebanon, which took place against the backdrop of rising tensions in the Middle East. Hariri and Macron both emphasised their opposition to US President Donald Trump's announcement Wednesday that he would move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. "It complicates the peace process even more (between Israel and the Palestinians) and creates a new challenge to regional security," Hariri said in opening remarks at the meeting. Macron added: "None of the region's problems will be resolved by unilateral decisions or the strongest imposing their will." Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Muslim country, is suspected of having pressured Hariri, a longtime ally, to resign as part of its attempts to counter the growing influence of Iran, a Shia Muslim power. The Saudi kingdom and other Arab states accuse Iran of using armed proxies such as Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement to advance its interests, from Lebanon to Yemen to Syria and Iraq. In a televised resignation statement from Riyadh on November 4, Hariri accused Tehran and Hezbollah - which has ministers in Hariri's government - of destabilising his country and the region. A Lebanese source close to Hariri told AFP that the premier travelled to Riyadh believing he was going to discuss economic projects but instead "found himself faced with a list of economic sanctions brandished by the Saudis against Lebanon." Hariri remained in Riyadh for two weeks afterwards, fuelling speculation that he was being held hostage. Macron then intervened, inviting Hariri to Paris for talks, after which he returned home to a hero's welcome. Two weeks later, he withdrew his resignation. The meeting ended with plans for three follow-up conferences: one in Paris in early 2018 on boosting investment in Lebanon; another in Rome on building up Lebanon`s regular army; and a third in Brussels on helping the roughly 1.5 million Syrian refugees that have fled there. "Lebanon's stability is not only crucial for its inhabitants but for the entire region," Macron said Friday, demanding that the sovereignty of the small multifaith country, long a proxy battleground between its bigger neighbours, be respected. Hariri said the fragile stability enjoyed by his country, which neighbours Syria, "appeared like a small miracle" in a region torn by the Syrian, Iraqi and Yemeni conflicts. "The desire of all in Lebanon is to save our democracy," he said. Riyadh's power play in Lebanon backfired, with the various Lebanese factions coming together in order to avoid a political breakdown. Hariri announced Tuesday that he would stay on as premier after cabinet members - including from Hezbollah - issued a joint statement to reaffirm their commitment to stay out of regional conflicts. "Lebanon will respect this principle of keeping its distance (from trouble beyond its borders). You will see," he vowed Friday, insisting there was "no crisis between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia". French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the principle "applied to all, both inside and outside (Lebanon)." The International Support Group for Lebanon was launched in September 2013 partly in response to the huge influx of refugees from Syria.

President Macron warns against Middle East meddling at Lebanon conference

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said today the &quot;relocation&quot; of the US embassy to Jerusalem would probably not take place for at least two years.

President Trump&#39;s declaration recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel created a firestorm in West Asia with several countries including Turkey, Iran and Saudia Arabia condemning the move.

Clashes erupted between Israeli troops and Palestinians in West Bank on Thursday, just hours after President Trump&#39;s announcement of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem. &nbsp;&nbsp;

On Friday, after talks with French foreign minister &nbsp;Jean-Yves Le Drian, Tillerson said: &quot;This is not something that is going to happen this year or probably not next year but the president does want us to move in a very concrete, very steadfast way.&quot;

Several Egyptians protested in Cairo against President Trump&#39;s decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. There were protests outside the US embassy in Jordan as the Arab world erupted against the Trump administration&#39;s move.

Hundreds of Palestinians continued to protest in a &quot;day of rage&quot; on Friday in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and in East Jerusalem against US President Donald Trump&#39;s recognition of the ancient city as Israel&#39;s capital.

President Trump's declaration recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel created a firestorm in West Asia with several countries including Turkey, Iran and Saudia Arabia condemning the move.

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said today the "relocation" of the US embassy to Jerusalem would probably not take place for at least two years. President Trump's declaration recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel created a firestorm in West Asia with several countries including Turkey, Iran and Saudia Arabia condemning the move. Clashes erupted between Israeli troops and Palestinians in West Bank on Thursday, just hours after President Trump's announcement of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem. On Friday, after talks with French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Tillerson said: "This is not something that is going to happen this year or probably not next year but the president does want us to move in a very concrete, very steadfast way." Several Egyptians protested in Cairo against President Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. There were protests outside the US embassy in Jordan as the Arab world erupted against the Trump administration's move. Hundreds of Palestinians continued to protest in a "day of rage" on Friday in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and in East Jerusalem against US President Donald Trump's recognition of the ancient city as Israel's capital.

US embassy won't be moving to Jerusalem in next two years: Tillerson

When President Donald Trump told the Palestinian president of his intention to recognise Jerusalem as Israel&rsquo;s capital, he assured him a peace plan being put together would please the Palestinians, officials said, an apparent effort to limit fallout over his break with longtime U.S. policy.

Trump&rsquo;s phone call to Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, the day before he made his bombshell announcement on Jerusalem, appeared to shed new light on behind-the-scenes efforts by White House advisers to craft a peace blueprint expected to be rolled out in the first half of 2018 but which has now been thrown into doubt because of an angry outcry across the Middle East.

With Palestinians declaring it will be difficult for the United States to act as an honest broker after essentially siding with Israel on one of the central disputes in the conflict, administration officials said they expected a &ldquo;cooling-off period.&rdquo;

Trump&rsquo;s team, led by his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, will press on with the development of a plan to serve as the foundation for renewed Israeli&ndash;Palestinian negotiations, hoping the furore will blow over and that any pause in diplomatic contacts with the Palestinians will not last long, U.S. officials said.

But amid protests in the Palestinian territories and uncertainty about whether the Palestinians will stay engaged in the peace effort, one U.S. official said the process could still be disrupted.

&ldquo;If they are still saying they&rsquo;re not going to talk, we&rsquo;re not going to do it then,&rdquo; the official said.

Washington&#39;s major Western and Arab allies have warned that Trump&#39;s decision on Jerusalem could doom attempts to achieve what the U.S. president has called the &ldquo;ultimate deal&rdquo; of Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Details of the negotiating framework have yet to be finalised and there is little indication of tangible progress.

But officials said it would deal with all the major issues, including Jerusalem, borders, security, the future of Jewish settlements on occupied land and the fate of Palestinian refugees, and would also call for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to provide significant financial support to the Palestinians.

In his call to Abbas on Tuesday, Trump sought to temper the blow from his Jerusalem announcement by stressing that the Palestinians stood to gain from the peace plan that Kushner and U.S. Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt were crafting, according to two U.S. and two Palestinian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

 
Important settlement&nbsp;

Trump told Abbas, a Western-backed moderate, that the final peace blueprint would offer the Palestinians an important settlement that they would be pleased with, but did not provide specifics, the sources said.

Abbas told Trump in response that any peace process must result in the Palestinians having their capital in East Jerusalem, a Palestinian official said. Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later annexed it in a move not recognised internationally.

A senior U.S. official said Trump told Abbas he wanted to discuss the issues in person and invited him to visit the White House, although the timing was unclear.

Palestinians have grown increasingly concerned that any plan Trump unveils will shortchange them, a fear that deepened with Trump&rsquo;s formal endorsement of Jerusalem as Israel&rsquo;s capital, upending decades of U.S. policy that the ancient city&rsquo;s status must be decided in negotiations.

Jerusalem is home to sites holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians.

Kushner, who had no government or diplomatic experience before joining his father-in-law&rsquo;s White House, has mostly kept his discussions under wraps.

U.S. officials say Kushner backed Trump&rsquo;s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel&rsquo;s capital and order the eventual relocation of the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv, although he was aware of the potential for complicating his peace efforts.

But one White House official said that because the peace effort had not yet led to negotiations between the two sides, Kushner&rsquo;s team believed the initial outcry over the Jerusalem decision could eventually be overcome.

The official said the plan, which he described as comprehensive and going beyond frameworks put forth by previous U.S. administrations, would likely be unveiled before the middle of next year.

A key test of keeping the peace efforts on track will be whether Abbas goes ahead with a scheduled meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region in mid-December. A senior Palestinian official said on Thursday that Pence was &ldquo;unwelcome in Palestine.&rdquo;

Trump, the officials said, had insisted that U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel&rsquo;s capital was not meant to prejudge the outcome of future negotiations on that issue or others between the two sides.

U.S. officials acknowledged that Trump&rsquo;s Jerusalem moves could also put a damper on cooperation from Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, which the administration is trying to enlist in the peace process.

They contended, however, that the broader Arab world was also concerned about keeping Trump involved in confronting Iran and fighting Islamic State militants and was therefore unlikely to remain disengaged for long from efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

One U.S. official said the Palestinians were in such a weak position that they would ultimately have no choice but to stay involved in U.S.-led peace efforts.

Another argument that Trump&rsquo;s aides will likely make to Palestinians is that having granted Israel recognition of its claim to Jerusalem, the U.S. leader might now have more leverage for seeking concessions later on from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the U.S. official said.

With Palestinians declaring it will be difficult for the United States to act as an honest broker after essentially siding with Israel on one of the central disputes in the conflict, administration officials said they expected a ?cooling-off period.?

When President Donald Trump told the Palestinian president of his intention to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, he assured him a peace plan being put together would please the Palestinians, officials said, an apparent effort to limit fallout over his break with longtime U.S. policy. Trump’s phone call to Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, the day before he made his bombshell announcement on Jerusalem, appeared to shed new light on behind-the-scenes efforts by White House advisers to craft a peace blueprint expected to be rolled out in the first half of 2018 but which has now been thrown into doubt because of an angry outcry across the Middle East. With Palestinians declaring it will be difficult for the United States to act as an honest broker after essentially siding with Israel on one of the central disputes in the conflict, administration officials said they expected a “cooling-off period.” Trump’s team, led by his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, will press on with the development of a plan to serve as the foundation for renewed Israeli–Palestinian negotiations, hoping the furore will blow over and that any pause in diplomatic contacts with the Palestinians will not last long, U.S. officials said. But amid protests in the Palestinian territories and uncertainty about whether the Palestinians will stay engaged in the peace effort, one U.S. official said the process could still be disrupted. “If they are still saying they’re not going to talk, we’re not going to do it then,” the official said. Washington's major Western and Arab allies have warned that Trump's decision on Jerusalem could doom attempts to achieve what the U.S. president has called the “ultimate deal” of Israeli-Palestinian peace. Details of the negotiating framework have yet to be finalised and there is little indication of tangible progress. But officials said it would deal with all the major issues, including Jerusalem, borders, security, the future of Jewish settlements on occupied land and the fate of Palestinian refugees, and would also call for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to provide significant financial support to the Palestinians. In his call to Abbas on Tuesday, Trump sought to temper the blow from his Jerusalem announcement by stressing that the Palestinians stood to gain from the peace plan that Kushner and U.S. Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt were crafting, according to two U.S. and two Palestinian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. Important settlement Trump told Abbas, a Western-backed moderate, that the final peace blueprint would offer the Palestinians an important settlement that they would be pleased with, but did not provide specifics, the sources said. Abbas told Trump in response that any peace process must result in the Palestinians having their capital in East Jerusalem, a Palestinian official said. Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later annexed it in a move not recognised internationally. A senior U.S. official said Trump told Abbas he wanted to discuss the issues in person and invited him to visit the White House, although the timing was unclear. Palestinians have grown increasingly concerned that any plan Trump unveils will shortchange them, a fear that deepened with Trump’s formal endorsement of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, upending decades of U.S. policy that the ancient city’s status must be decided in negotiations. Jerusalem is home to sites holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians. Kushner, who had no government or diplomatic experience before joining his father-in-law’s White House, has mostly kept his discussions under wraps. U.S. officials say Kushner backed Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and order the eventual relocation of the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv, although he was aware of the potential for complicating his peace efforts. But one White House official said that because the peace effort had not yet led to negotiations between the two sides, Kushner’s team believed the initial outcry over the Jerusalem decision could eventually be overcome. The official said the plan, which he described as comprehensive and going beyond frameworks put forth by previous U.S. administrations, would likely be unveiled before the middle of next year. A key test of keeping the peace efforts on track will be whether Abbas goes ahead with a scheduled meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region in mid-December. A senior Palestinian official said on Thursday that Pence was “unwelcome in Palestine.” Trump, the officials said, had insisted that U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was not meant to prejudge the outcome of future negotiations on that issue or others between the two sides. U.S. officials acknowledged that Trump’s Jerusalem moves could also put a damper on cooperation from Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, which the administration is trying to enlist in the peace process. They contended, however, that the broader Arab world was also concerned about keeping Trump involved in confronting Iran and fighting Islamic State militants and was therefore unlikely to remain disengaged for long from efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One U.S. official said the Palestinians were in such a weak position that they would ultimately have no choice but to stay involved in U.S.-led peace efforts. Another argument that Trump’s aides will likely make to Palestinians is that having granted Israel recognition of its claim to Jerusalem, the U.S. leader might now have more leverage for seeking concessions later on from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the U.S. official said.

Trump dangles Middle East peace plan to limit Jerusalem outcry

It was once meant to provide comic<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/jerusalem-status-us-decision-a-serious-violation-of-international-law-says-pak-pm-abbasi-26120"> relief to the Palestinians</a> a giant spray-painted image of Trump.

The mural which <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/turkeys-erdogan-says-us-decision-on-jerusalem-disregards-united-nations-26106">was reportedly made by an </a>Australian with alias @LushSux showed Trump telling a wall: &ldquo;I&lsquo;m going to build you a brother.&rdquo;&nbsp;

In another mural, the US president was seen hugging an Israeli army watch-tower, with heart-shaped emojis.

The wall was linked to Mexico during President Trump&#39;s heated election campaign last year which was later carried into his presidency.

Trump had told Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, according to the transcript of the phone call in January that,&quot;You know, you look at Israel - Israel has a wall and everyone said do not build a wall, walls do not work - 99.9 percent of people trying to come across that wall cannot get across and more,&quot; Trump added: &quot;Bibi Netanyahu told me the wall works&quot;.

The mural was a sign of protest art around parts of Bethlehem, in Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Now, people who took care of the wall have decided to bring down the mural after President Trump decided to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel today.

The mural which was reportedly made by an Australian with alias @LushSux showed Trump telling a wall: ?I?m going to build you a brother.??

It was once meant to provide comic relief to the Palestinians a giant spray-painted image of Trump. The mural which was reportedly made by an Australian with alias @LushSux showed Trump telling a wall: “I‘m going to build you a brother.” In another mural, the US president was seen hugging an Israeli army watch-tower, with heart-shaped emojis. The wall was linked to Mexico during President Trump's heated election campaign last year which was later carried into his presidency. Trump had told Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, according to the transcript of the phone call in January that,"You know, you look at Israel - Israel has a wall and everyone said do not build a wall, walls do not work - 99.9 percent of people trying to come across that wall cannot get across and more," Trump added: "Bibi Netanyahu told me the wall works". The mural was a sign of protest art around parts of Bethlehem, in Israeli-occupied West Bank. Now, people who took care of the wall have decided to bring down the mural after President Trump decided to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel today.

Watch: Now, Palestinians bring down Trump's mural in Bethlehem

Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East on Wednesday condemned the US&nbsp;recognition of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital as an incendiary move in a volatile region and Palestinians said Washington was abandoning its leading role as a peace mediator.

The European Union and United Nations also voiced alarm at US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s decision to move the US&nbsp;Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and its repercussions for any chances of reviving Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.

Major US&nbsp;allies came out against Trump&#39;s reversal of decades of US&nbsp;and broad international policy on Jerusalem.

France rejected the &quot;unilateral&quot; decision while appealing for calm in the region. Britain said the move would not help peace efforts and Jerusalem should ultimately be shared by Israel and a future Palestinian state. Germany said Jerusalem&#39;s status could only be resolved on the basis of a two-state solution.

Israel, by contrast, applauded Trump&#39;s move. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video message that it was &quot;an important step towards peace&quot; and it was &quot;our goal from Israel&#39;s first day&quot;.

He added that any peace accord with the Palestinians would have to include Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital and he urged other countries to follow Trump&#39;s example.

Trump upended decades of US&nbsp;policy in defiance of warnings from around the world that the gesture risks aggravating conflict in the tinderbox Middle East.

The status of Jerusalem is home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths. Its eastern sector was captured by Israel in a 1967 war and annexed in a move not recognized internationally. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem for the capital of an independent state they seek.

Israel deems Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital dating to antiquity, and its status is one of the thorniest barriers to a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a pre-recorded speech, said Jerusalem was the &quot;eternal capital of the State of Palestine&quot; and that Trump&#39;s move was &quot;tantamount to the United States abdicating its role as a peace mediator.&quot;

The last round of US-brokered talks foundered in 2014 over issues including Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and Israeli accusations of Palestinian incitement to violence and refusal to recognise it as a Jewish state.

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which has dominated Gaza since soon after Israel ended a 38-year occupation in 2005, said Trump had committed a &quot;flagrant aggression against the Palestinian people&quot;. Hamas urged Arabs and Muslims to &quot;undermine US&nbsp;interests in the region&quot; and to &quot;shun Israel&quot;.

Protests broke out in parts of Jordan&#39;s capital Amman inhabited by Palestinian refugees, with youths chanting anti-American slogans. In the Baqaa refugee camp on Amman&#39;s outskirts, hundreds roamed the streets denouncing Trump and urging Jordan to scrap its 1994 peace treaty with Israel. &quot;Down with America...America is the mother of terror,&quot; they chanted.

Angry Palestinians switched off Christmas lights at Jesus&#39; traditional birthplace in the West Bank town of Bethlehem and in Ramallah. A tree adorned with lights outside Bethlehem&#39;s Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus was born, and another in Ramallah, next to the grave of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, were plunged into darkness.

All Palestinian factions called for a general strike and protest rallies at midday on Thursday.

&nbsp;

&quot;Legally Null&quot; Decision

The Saudi Royal Court issued a statement saying that the kingdom followed &quot;with deep sorrow&quot; Trump&#39;s decision and warned of &quot;dangerous consequences of moving the US&nbsp;Embassy to Jerusalem&quot;.

The statement described the move as &quot;a big step back in efforts to advance the peace process&quot;, and urged the US&nbsp;administration to reverse its decision and adhere to international will.

Egypt, which forged the first Arab peace deal with Israel in 1979, brushed off Trump&#39;s decision and said it did not change Jerusalem&#39;s disputed legal status.

Jordan said Trump&#39;s action was &quot;legally null&quot; because it consolidated Israel&#39;s occupation of East Jerusalem.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Trump&#39;s Jerusalem decision was dangerous and threatened the credibility of the United States as a broker of Middle East peace. He said the move would put back the peace process by decades and threatened regional stability and perhaps global stability.

Qatar&#39;s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said Trump&#39;s undertaking was a &quot;death sentence for all who seek peace&quot; and called it &quot;a dangerous escalation&quot;.

Turkey said Trump&#39;s move was &quot;irresponsible&quot;.

&quot;We call upon the US&nbsp;Administration to reconsider this faulty decision which may result in highly negative outcomes and to avoid uncalculated steps that will harm the multicultural identity and historical status of Jerusalem,&quot; the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

A few hundred protesters gathered outside the US&nbsp;consulate in Istanbul, a Reuters cameraman at the scene said. The protest was largely peaceful, though some of the demonstrators threw coins and other objects at the consulate.

Iran &quot;seriously condemns&quot; Trump&#39;s move as it violates UN&nbsp;resolutions on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, state media reported. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier in the day that the United States was trying to destabilize the region and start a war to protect Israel&#39;s security.

In Southeast Asia, the leaders of Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia denounced Trump&#39;s action.

&quot;This can rock global security and stability,&quot; Indonesian President Joko Widodo, leader of the world&#39;s largest Muslim-majority nation, told a news conference in which he called for the United States to reconsider its decision.

British Prime Minister Theresa May disagreed with Trump&#39;s embrace of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital before a final-status agreement as this was unlikely to help nurture peace in the region, her spokesman said.

However, May&#39;s spokesman welcomed Trump&#39;s stated wish to end the conflict and his acknowledgement that the final status of Jerusalem, including boundaries within the city, must be subject to negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he did not support Trump&#39;s &quot;unilateral&quot; move.

&quot;The status of Jerusalem is a question of international security that concerns the entire international community. The status of Jerusalem must be determined by Israelis and Palestinians in the framework of negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations,&quot; Macron told reporters in Algiers.

&quot;France and Europe are attached to a two-state solution - Israel and Palestine - living side by side in peace and security within recognised international borders with Jerusalem the capital of both states,&quot; he said.

&quot;For now, I urge for calm and for everyone to be responsible. We must avoid at all costs avoid violence and foster dialogue,&quot; he said.

UN&nbsp;Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there was no alternative to a two-state solution and Jerusalem was a final-status matter only to be settled through direct talks.

&quot;I have consistently spoken out against any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians,&quot; Guterres said. &quot;I will do everything in my power to support the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to meaningful negotiations.&quot;

Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East on Wednesday condemned the US?recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital as an incendiary move in a volatile region and Palestinians said Washington was abandoning its leading role as a peace mediator

Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East on Wednesday condemned the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital as an incendiary move in a volatile region and Palestinians said Washington was abandoning its leading role as a peace mediator. The European Union and United Nations also voiced alarm at US President Donald Trump's decision to move the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and its repercussions for any chances of reviving Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. Major US allies came out against Trump's reversal of decades of US and broad international policy on Jerusalem. France rejected the "unilateral" decision while appealing for calm in the region. Britain said the move would not help peace efforts and Jerusalem should ultimately be shared by Israel and a future Palestinian state. Germany said Jerusalem's status could only be resolved on the basis of a two-state solution. Israel, by contrast, applauded Trump's move. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video message that it was "an important step towards peace" and it was "our goal from Israel's first day". He added that any peace accord with the Palestinians would have to include Jerusalem as Israel's capital and he urged other countries to follow Trump's example. Trump upended decades of US policy in defiance of warnings from around the world that the gesture risks aggravating conflict in the tinderbox Middle East. The status of Jerusalem is home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths. Its eastern sector was captured by Israel in a 1967 war and annexed in a move not recognized internationally. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem for the capital of an independent state they seek. Israel deems Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital dating to antiquity, and its status is one of the thorniest barriers to a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a pre-recorded speech, said Jerusalem was the "eternal capital of the State of Palestine" and that Trump's move was "tantamount to the United States abdicating its role as a peace mediator." The last round of US-brokered talks foundered in 2014 over issues including Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and Israeli accusations of Palestinian incitement to violence and refusal to recognise it as a Jewish state. The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which has dominated Gaza since soon after Israel ended a 38-year occupation in 2005, said Trump had committed a "flagrant aggression against the Palestinian people". Hamas urged Arabs and Muslims to "undermine US interests in the region" and to "shun Israel". Protests broke out in parts of Jordan's capital Amman inhabited by Palestinian refugees, with youths chanting anti-American slogans. In the Baqaa refugee camp on Amman's outskirts, hundreds roamed the streets denouncing Trump and urging Jordan to scrap its 1994 peace treaty with Israel. "Down with America...America is the mother of terror," they chanted. Angry Palestinians switched off Christmas lights at Jesus' traditional birthplace in the West Bank town of Bethlehem and in Ramallah. A tree adorned with lights outside Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus was born, and another in Ramallah, next to the grave of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, were plunged into darkness. All Palestinian factions called for a general strike and protest rallies at midday on Thursday. "Legally Null" Decision The Saudi Royal Court issued a statement saying that the kingdom followed "with deep sorrow" Trump's decision and warned of "dangerous consequences of moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem". The statement described the move as "a big step back in efforts to advance the peace process", and urged the US administration to reverse its decision and adhere to international will. Egypt, which forged the first Arab peace deal with Israel in 1979, brushed off Trump's decision and said it did not change Jerusalem's disputed legal status. Jordan said Trump's action was "legally null" because it consolidated Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem. Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Trump's Jerusalem decision was dangerous and threatened the credibility of the United States as a broker of Middle East peace. He said the move would put back the peace process by decades and threatened regional stability and perhaps global stability. Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said Trump's undertaking was a "death sentence for all who seek peace" and called it "a dangerous escalation". Turkey said Trump's move was "irresponsible". "We call upon the US Administration to reconsider this faulty decision which may result in highly negative outcomes and to avoid uncalculated steps that will harm the multicultural identity and historical status of Jerusalem," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement. A few hundred protesters gathered outside the US consulate in Istanbul, a Reuters cameraman at the scene said. The protest was largely peaceful, though some of the demonstrators threw coins and other objects at the consulate. Iran "seriously condemns" Trump's move as it violates UN resolutions on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, state media reported. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier in the day that the United States was trying to destabilize the region and start a war to protect Israel's security. In Southeast Asia, the leaders of Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia denounced Trump's action. "This can rock global security and stability," Indonesian President Joko Widodo, leader of the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, told a news conference in which he called for the United States to reconsider its decision. British Prime Minister Theresa May disagreed with Trump's embrace of Jerusalem as Israel's capital before a final-status agreement as this was unlikely to help nurture peace in the region, her spokesman said. However, May's spokesman welcomed Trump's stated wish to end the conflict and his acknowledgement that the final status of Jerusalem, including boundaries within the city, must be subject to negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. French President Emmanuel Macron said he did not support Trump's "unilateral" move. "The status of Jerusalem is a question of international security that concerns the entire international community. The status of Jerusalem must be determined by Israelis and Palestinians in the framework of negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations," Macron told reporters in Algiers. "France and Europe are attached to a two-state solution - Israel and Palestine - living side by side in peace and security within recognised international borders with Jerusalem the capital of both states," he said. "For now, I urge for calm and for everyone to be responsible. We must avoid at all costs avoid violence and foster dialogue," he said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there was no alternative to a two-state solution and Jerusalem was a final-status matter only to be settled through direct talks. "I have consistently spoken out against any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians," Guterres said. "I will do everything in my power to support the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to meaningful negotiations."

Arabs, Europe, UN reject Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital

&nbsp;

By&nbsp;Spyros Sofos&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;Vittorio Felci*

Donald Trump&rsquo;s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and start preparations for the US to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to the contested city, has the potential to further inflame tensions across the Middle East.

Although this is not an unexpected move &ndash; Trump expressed his intention to do so during his electoral campaign &ndash; the decision breaks with years of precedent.

Trump&rsquo;s decision to move the embassy means he will not follow his predecessors by renewing a waiver on the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which required the embassy to eventually be moved from Tel Aviv.

Since then, there has been a cross-party consensus in the US that any act which recognises the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel and its designation as the country&rsquo;s capital would affect the fragile balance of power in the Middle East &ndash; and the ability of the US to promote its interests in the region. US diplomats have sought to tread carefully on this issue in one of the world&rsquo;s most treacherous political landscapes.

The Palestinian leadership condemned the move before Trump spoke, as did leaders from the Arab world and beyond. The announcement of the embassy move is likely to cause a wave of resentment among Palestinians in the occupied territories and the city itself, especially after two decades of stalemate in the peace process and deteriorating conditions throughout the Palestinian territories. Ahead of the speech, US citizens and government employees were told to avoid Jerusalem&rsquo;s Old City and the West Bank until further notice.

Central to the peace process

Jerusalem is not just a city of historical importance to Judaism, Islam and Christianity, but also a site key to both Israeli and Palestinian identity. Add to this the centrality of the status of Jerusalem in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, often described as one of the world&rsquo;s most intractable disputes, and it&rsquo;s clear why the decision to move the US embassy there has been described as tantamount to political arson.

At the political level, most Israelis and Palestinians insist that Jerusalem must be the capital of their states, present and future, and that this is non-negotiable. This is why the final status of Jerusalem was deemed to be one of the thorniest issues in the Oslo peace process in the 1990s. It was envisaged to be circumnavigated, dealt with only at the stage of &ldquo;permanent status negotiations&rdquo;, once all other issues between the state of Israel and the Palestinians were resolved.

As there has not been any progress in less important, yet substantive issues since Oslo, the issue of Jerusalem has acquired a symbolic importance among Palestinians.

Jerusalem is a city dense in symbolism in the Palestinian national imagination. Particularly so as other, more material anchors of identity such as territory, governance and self-determination are continually being eroded by the harsh realities of Israeli occupation, the blockade of Gaza and deteriorating cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian authorities.

The response to Trump&rsquo;s announcement by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and most of his government was muted. But its symbolic value among nationalist circles in Israel, and also among many ordinary Israelis, should not be underestimated.

The Israeli government has been active in strengthening Israeli claims to the entire city since its annexation in 1980. Settlement building around Jerusalem has aimed to ring-fence the city and integrate it more into Israel. Meanwhile, there were building restrictions in East Jerusalem, and a series of restrictions to Palestinian access to the Al-Aqsa mosque, built on the remnants of the last Jewish Temple. Both sets of restrictions were lifted.

Equally important in terms of symbolic politics has been Israel&rsquo;s archaeological intervention around Jerusalem, which Palestinians see as an attempt to strengthen Israel&rsquo;s historical connection with the city.

Wider significance

Trump&rsquo;s decision seems oblivious to the fragility of coexistence in the city between its Israeli and Palestinian inhabitants. It also ignores the significance of Jerusalem in Palestinian national identity and national aspirations, and the devastating impact on the future of a moribund peace process.

It has the potential of not only affecting the political ecology of a place where history is a matter of life and death, but could also cause a ripple effect much further afield. It can destabilise a Palestinian authority already deprived of legitimacy and an array of fragile Arab regimes. And it is likely to accentuate the enmity between Israel and Iran. Iran perceives such a move as a &ldquo;violation of Islamic sanctities&rdquo; and, together with Trump&rsquo;s revitalised alliance with Saudi Arabia, a clear sign of the US president&rsquo;s anti-Iranian stance.

Last but not least, it could further stoke the flames of anti-Western Islamic movements in the Muslim world and the West alike, which have always put Jerusalem and the Palestinian issue in a central position.

&nbsp;

*Vittorio Felci is Researcher, Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-trumps-recognition-of-jerusalem-as-the-capital-of-israel-means-for-the-middle-east-88722" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

<section>&nbsp;</section>

<h1>&nbsp;</h1>

It has the potential of not only affecting the political ecology of a place where history is a matter of life and death, but could also cause a ripple effect much further afield.

By Spyros Sofos & Vittorio Felci* Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and start preparations for the US to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to the contested city, has the potential to further inflame tensions across the Middle East. Although this is not an unexpected move – Trump expressed his intention to do so during his electoral campaign – the decision breaks with years of precedent. Trump’s decision to move the embassy means he will not follow his predecessors by renewing a waiver on the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which required the embassy to eventually be moved from Tel Aviv. Since then, there has been a cross-party consensus in the US that any act which recognises the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel and its designation as the country’s capital would affect the fragile balance of power in the Middle East – and the ability of the US to promote its interests in the region. US diplomats have sought to tread carefully on this issue in one of the world’s most treacherous political landscapes. The Palestinian leadership condemned the move before Trump spoke, as did leaders from the Arab world and beyond. The announcement of the embassy move is likely to cause a wave of resentment among Palestinians in the occupied territories and the city itself, especially after two decades of stalemate in the peace process and deteriorating conditions throughout the Palestinian territories. Ahead of the speech, US citizens and government employees were told to avoid Jerusalem’s Old City and the West Bank until further notice. Central to the peace process Jerusalem is not just a city of historical importance to Judaism, Islam and Christianity, but also a site key to both Israeli and Palestinian identity. Add to this the centrality of the status of Jerusalem in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, often described as one of the world’s most intractable disputes, and it’s clear why the decision to move the US embassy there has been described as tantamount to political arson. At the political level, most Israelis and Palestinians insist that Jerusalem must be the capital of their states, present and future, and that this is non-negotiable. This is why the final status of Jerusalem was deemed to be one of the thorniest issues in the Oslo peace process in the 1990s. It was envisaged to be circumnavigated, dealt with only at the stage of “permanent status negotiations”, once all other issues between the state of Israel and the Palestinians were resolved. As there has not been any progress in less important, yet substantive issues since Oslo, the issue of Jerusalem has acquired a symbolic importance among Palestinians. Jerusalem is a city dense in symbolism in the Palestinian national imagination. Particularly so as other, more material anchors of identity such as territory, governance and self-determination are continually being eroded by the harsh realities of Israeli occupation, the blockade of Gaza and deteriorating cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian authorities. The response to Trump’s announcement by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and most of his government was muted. But its symbolic value among nationalist circles in Israel, and also among many ordinary Israelis, should not be underestimated. The Israeli government has been active in strengthening Israeli claims to the entire city since its annexation in 1980. Settlement building around Jerusalem has aimed to ring-fence the city and integrate it more into Israel. Meanwhile, there were building restrictions in East Jerusalem, and a series of restrictions to Palestinian access to the Al-Aqsa mosque, built on the remnants of the last Jewish Temple. Both sets of restrictions were lifted. Equally important in terms of symbolic politics has been Israel’s archaeological intervention around Jerusalem, which Palestinians see as an attempt to strengthen Israel’s historical connection with the city. Wider significance Trump’s decision seems oblivious to the fragility of coexistence in the city between its Israeli and Palestinian inhabitants. It also ignores the significance of Jerusalem in Palestinian national identity and national aspirations, and the devastating impact on the future of a moribund peace process. It has the potential of not only affecting the political ecology of a place where history is a matter of life and death, but could also cause a ripple effect much further afield. It can destabilise a Palestinian authority already deprived of legitimacy and an array of fragile Arab regimes. And it is likely to accentuate the enmity between Israel and Iran. Iran perceives such a move as a “violation of Islamic sanctities” and, together with Trump’s revitalised alliance with Saudi Arabia, a clear sign of the US president’s anti-Iranian stance. Last but not least, it could further stoke the flames of anti-Western Islamic movements in the Muslim world and the West alike, which have always put Jerusalem and the Palestinian issue in a central position. *Vittorio Felci is Researcher, Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Trump recognised Jerusalem. How will it impact Middle East

Pakistan today joined the international chorus against US decision to name Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital.

Trump in a speech in the White House said today that it is &quot;time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel&quot;, adding that &quot;new approach&quot; was needed to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said he deeply regretted that pleas from states across the globe not to alter the &quot;legal and historical status&quot; of Al Quds Al Sharif have been ignored.

&quot;This decision represents a serious violation of international law and applicable UN Security Council resolutions, particularly the UNSCR 478,&quot; Pakistan PM said in a statement.

&quot;It is a serious setback to the rule of law and international norms. It signals a severe blow to the Middle East peace process as well,&quot;&nbsp;the statement added.

Trump&#39;s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital created a firestorm in the Middle East, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Trump&#39;s decision was &quot;deplorable and unacceptable&quot;.

On the other hand, &nbsp;Israel&#39;s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a &quot;courageous and just decision.&quot;

On Tuesday, Trump in a meeting with cabinet ministers at the White House had said the decision was &quot;long overdue&quot;.&nbsp;

America&#39;s NATO allies Britain and France called Trump&#39;s decision &quot;unhelpful&quot; and &quot;regrettable&quot;.

Germany said it &quot;does not support&quot; Trump&#39;s decision.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Trump&#39;s decision puts the region in a &quot;ring of fire&quot;.

Pakistan PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said Trump's decision signals a severe blow to the Middle East peace process

Pakistan today joined the international chorus against US decision to name Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Trump in a speech in the White House said today that it is "time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel", adding that "new approach" was needed to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said he deeply regretted that pleas from states across the globe not to alter the "legal and historical status" of Al Quds Al Sharif have been ignored. "This decision represents a serious violation of international law and applicable UN Security Council resolutions, particularly the UNSCR 478," Pakistan PM said in a statement. "It is a serious setback to the rule of law and international norms. It signals a severe blow to the Middle East peace process as well," the statement added. Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital created a firestorm in the Middle East, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Trump's decision was "deplorable and unacceptable". On the other hand, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a "courageous and just decision." On Tuesday, Trump in a meeting with cabinet ministers at the White House had said the decision was "long overdue". America's NATO allies Britain and France called Trump's decision "unhelpful" and "regrettable". Germany said it "does not support" Trump's decision. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Trump's decision puts the region in a "ring of fire".

Jerusalem status: US decision a serious violation of international law, says Pak PM Abbasi

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that United State&#39;s president Donald Trump&#39;s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital would throw the region into a &quot;ring of fire&quot;.&nbsp;

The decision completely disregarded a 1980 United Nations resolution regarding the status of the city.

He was speaking to supporters at the airport in Ankara before departing to Greece for an official visit.

Erdogan also said the decision would throw the region into a "ring of fire".

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that United State's president Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital would throw the region into a "ring of fire". The decision completely disregarded a 1980 United Nations resolution regarding the status of the city. He was speaking to supporters at the airport in Ankara before departing to Greece for an official visit.

Turkish President says US decision on Jerusalem disregards United Nations

Germany&#39;s Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday stated that the German government does not support President Donald Trump&#39;s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

&quot;The German Government does not support this position because the status of Jerusalem is to be resolved in the framework of a two-state solution,&quot; Merkel`s spokesperson Steffen Seibert said in a statement on Twitter.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
More fallout from European allies: German Chancellor Angela Merkel says via government spokesman Steffen Seibert that Germany &#39;does not support&#39; position of the Trump administration on Jerusalem, whose &#39;status is to be settled as part of negotiations on a 2-state solution.&#39;
&mdash; Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) <a href="https://twitter.com/AymanM/status/938519021212794887?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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US President Donald Trump fulfilled one of its campaign promises and reversed decades-long US policy after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-recognises-jerusalem-as-israels-capital-sparks-firestorm-26072" target="_blank">recognising Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital</a> earlier on Wednesday. The United States of America became the first country in the world to identify Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Official announcements were made with respect to shifting the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Here again, America becomes the first country to establish its embassy in Jerusalem.&nbsp;

Jerusalem is considered a sacred place, home to Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites. However, it is also a disputed territory, contested by both Israel and Palestine, which sees it as a capital of its future state.

(With inputs from Reuters)

US President Donald Trump fulfilled one of its campaign promises and reversed decades-long US policy after recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital earlier on Wednesday

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday stated that the German government does not support President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. "The German Government does not support this position because the status of Jerusalem is to be resolved in the framework of a two-state solution," Merkel`s spokesperson Steffen Seibert said in a statement on Twitter. More fallout from European allies: German Chancellor Angela Merkel says via government spokesman Steffen Seibert that Germany 'does not support' position of the Trump administration on Jerusalem, whose 'status is to be settled as part of negotiations on a 2-state solution.' — Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) December 6, 2017 × US President Donald Trump fulfilled one of its campaign promises and reversed decades-long US policy after recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital earlier on Wednesday. The United States of America became the first country in the world to identify Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Official announcements were made with respect to shifting the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Here again, America becomes the first country to establish its embassy in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is considered a sacred place, home to Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites. However, it is also a disputed territory, contested by both Israel and Palestine, which sees it as a capital of its future state. (With inputs from Reuters)

Germany doesn't support Trump on Jerusalem, says Angela Merkel

PM Justin Trudeau said<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/watch-after-trumps-jerusalem-announcement-palestinians-clash-with-israeli-forces-in-west-bank-26156"> today Canada won&#39;t be moving its embassy</a> from Tel Aviv even as US President Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital.

&quot;We will not be moving Canada&#39;s embassy from Tel Aviv,&quot; Trudeau said.

Israeli PM Benjamin<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-now-palestinians-bring-down-trumps-mural-in-bethlehem-26148"> Netanyahu said many would </a>follow the United States, adding that contacts were underway, Reuters reported. However, he did not name the countries.

&quot;President Trump has immortalized himself in the chronicles of our capital. His name will now be held aloft, alongside other names connected to the glorious history of Jerusalem and of our people,&quot; Netanyahu said.

The United Nations Security Council is likely to meet on Friday to discuss the US decision as most countries including US allies Britain, France and Germany spoke out against US move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital&nbsp;of Israel.

The EU&#39;s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said: &quot;The European Union has a clear and united position. We believe the only realistic solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine is based on two states and with Jerusalem as the capital of both.&quot;

Protests broke out in Amman in areas inhabited by Palestinian refugees, Istanbul too witnessed protests by Palestinians as several gathered the US consulate.

Hamas urged Palestinians on Thursday to abandon peace efforts and launch a new uprising against Israel in response to US President.

&quot;We should call for and we should work on launching an intifada in the face of the Zionist enemy,&quot; Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a speech in Gaza.

He said Palestinians, Muslims and Arabs should hold rallies against the US decision on Friday, calling it a &quot;day of rage&quot;.&nbsp;

The United Nations Security Council is likely to meet on Friday to discuss the US decision as most countries including Britain, France and Germany spoke out against US move

PM Justin Trudeau said today Canada won't be moving its embassy from Tel Aviv even as US President Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "We will not be moving Canada's embassy from Tel Aviv," Trudeau said. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said many would follow the United States, adding that contacts were underway, Reuters reported. However, he did not name the countries. "President Trump has immortalized himself in the chronicles of our capital. His name will now be held aloft, alongside other names connected to the glorious history of Jerusalem and of our people," Netanyahu said. The United Nations Security Council is likely to meet on Friday to discuss the US decision as most countries including US allies Britain, France and Germany spoke out against US move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said: "The European Union has a clear and united position. We believe the only realistic solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine is based on two states and with Jerusalem as the capital of both." Protests broke out in Amman in areas inhabited by Palestinian refugees, Istanbul too witnessed protests by Palestinians as several gathered the US consulate. Hamas urged Palestinians on Thursday to abandon peace efforts and launch a new uprising against Israel in response to US President. "We should call for and we should work on launching an intifada in the face of the Zionist enemy," Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a speech in Gaza. He said Palestinians, Muslims and Arabs should hold rallies against the US decision on Friday, calling it a "day of rage".

Jerusalem as Israel's capital: Several nations would follow US decision, says PM Netanyahu

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-recognises-jerusalem-as-israels-capital-sparks-firestorm-26072">Trump </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-recognises-jerusalem-as-israels-capital-sparks-firestorm-26072">recognises</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-recognises-jerusalem-as-israels-capital-sparks-firestorm-26072"> Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital, sparks firestorm</a>

President Donald Trump recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital Wednesday, prompting an almost universal diplomatic backlash and fears of new bloodshed in the Middle East.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/indian-drone-invaded-airspace-crashed-china-state-agency-26078">Indian drone &#39;invaded&#39; airspace, crashed: China state agency</a>

China today said an Indian drone had &quot;invaded&quot; its airspace and crashed, its state-run news agency Xinhua reported. China&#39;s deputy director of the army&#39;s western theatre combat bureau was quoted as saying by Xinhua that the move &quot;violated China&#39;s territorial sovereignty.&quot;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/israel-hails-trumps-historic-declaration-palestinians-condemn-26079">Israel hails Trump&#39;s &#39;historic&#39; declaration, Palestinians condemn</a>

Israel hailed U.S. President Donald Trump&#39;s recognition of Jerusalem as its capital on Wednesday, but the Palestinians condemned the move and said it diminished Washington&#39;s role as a peace mediator.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/military-must-be-kept-out-of-politics-says-army-chief-26076">Military must be kept out of politics, says army chief</a>

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday stressed that the military must be kept out of politics and said that unlike in the &quot;good old days&quot;, the army establishment was moving towards discussing politics which should be avoided.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/entertainment-priyanka-chopra-voted-sexiest-asian-in-uk-poll-tv-actress-nia-sharma-is-a-close-second-26075">Priyanka Chopra voted sexiest Asian in UK poll; TV actress Nia Sharma is a close second</a>

Priyanka Chopra has been voted the &quot;Sexiest Asian Woman&quot; in the world in an annual UK poll released here on Wednesday.

Trump's defiant move, making good on a core campaign pledge, ended seven decades of US ambiguity on the status of the Holy City, which is vociferously claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians.

Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital, sparks firestorm President Donald Trump recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital Wednesday, prompting an almost universal diplomatic backlash and fears of new bloodshed in the Middle East. Indian drone 'invaded' airspace, crashed: China state agency China today said an Indian drone had "invaded" its airspace and crashed, its state-run news agency Xinhua reported. China's deputy director of the army's western theatre combat bureau was quoted as saying by Xinhua that the move "violated China's territorial sovereignty." 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. Military must be kept out of politics, says army chief Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday stressed that the military must be kept out of politics and said that unlike in the "good old days", the army establishment was moving towards discussing politics which should be avoided. Priyanka Chopra voted sexiest Asian in UK poll; TV actress Nia Sharma is a close second Priyanka Chopra has been voted the "Sexiest Asian Woman" in the world in an annual UK poll released here on Wednesday.

WION News Brief, December 7, 2017

Israel hailed U.S. President Donald Trump&#39;s recognition of Jerusalem as its capital on Wednesday, but the Palestinians condemned the move and said it diminished Washington&#39;s role as a peace mediator.

In a landmark speech in Washington, Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy in defiance of warnings from around the world that the gesture risked creating further unrest in the Middle East.

Past US&nbsp;presidents have insisted that the status of Jerusalem - home to sites holy to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions - must be decided in negotiations between the two sides.

Palestinian factions called a general strike on Thursday throughout the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Palestinian areas of Jerusalem and for rallies to be held at midday (1000 GMT) in protest at Trump&#39;s move, raising the chances of violent clashes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video message that Trump&#39;s decision had made for a &quot;historic day&quot; and was &quot;an important step towards peace&quot;.

He added that any peace deal with the Palestinians would have to include Jerusalem as Israel&#39;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&#39;s holy sites. &quot;Israel will always ensure freedom of worship for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.&quot;

But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Trump&#39;s move was &quot;tantamount to the United States abdicating its role as a peace mediator&quot; and declared Jerusalem as the &quot;eternal capital of the State of Palestine&quot;.

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 recognised 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.

&quot;With this announcement, the American administration has chosen to violate all international and bilateral agreements and resolutions and it has chosen to violate international consensus,&quot; Abbas said.

The move, he said, would serve &quot;the extremist groups which try to turn the conflict in our region into a religious war that will drag the region ... into international conflicts and endless wars.&quot;

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been frozen since 2014. Trump&#39;s adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is leading Trump&#39;s efforts to restart them but those efforts have shown little progress. Israel&#39;s West Bank settlement building has been one of the main obstacles.

Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which dominates the Gaza Strip, said Trump&#39;s move was &quot;flagrant aggression against the Palestinian people&quot; and urged Arabs and Muslims to &quot;undermine the U.S.&#39;s interests in the region&quot; and to &quot;shun Israel.&quot;

In a landmark speech in Washington, Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy in defiance of warnings from around the world that the gesture risked creating further unrest in the Middle East.

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. In a landmark speech in Washington, Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy in defiance of warnings from around the world that the gesture risked creating further unrest in the Middle East. Past US presidents have insisted that the status of Jerusalem - home to sites holy to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions - must be decided in negotiations between the two sides. Palestinian factions called a general strike on Thursday throughout the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Palestinian areas of Jerusalem and for rallies to be held at midday (1000 GMT) in protest at Trump's move, raising the chances of violent clashes. 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". 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 recognised 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. "With this announcement, the American administration has chosen to violate all international and bilateral agreements and resolutions and it has chosen to violate international consensus," Abbas said. The move, he said, would serve "the extremist groups which try to turn the conflict in our region into a religious war that will drag the region ... into international conflicts and endless wars." Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been frozen since 2014. Trump's adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is leading Trump's efforts to restart them but those efforts have shown little progress. Israel's West Bank settlement building has been one of the main obstacles. Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which dominates the Gaza Strip, said Trump's move was "flagrant aggression against the Palestinian people" and urged Arabs and Muslims to "undermine the U.S.'s interests in the region" and to "shun Israel."

Israel hails Trump's 'historic' declaration, Palestinians condemn

President Donald Trump recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital Wednesday, prompting an almost universal diplomatic backlash and fears of new bloodshed in the Middle East.

Trump&#39;s <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/decision-on-jerusalem-long-overdue-trump-26070">defiant move</a>, making good on a core campaign pledge, ended seven decades of US ambiguity on the status of the Holy City, which is vociferously claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians.

America&#39;s leader appeared further isolated, as allies and foes alike denounced his decision and Palestinians questioned whether their dream of statehood, as part of a peace deal brokered by Washington, was still possible.&nbsp;

But the US president claimed this marked the start of a &quot;new approach&quot; to solving the thorny Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Also Read -&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/un-security-council-to-meet-friday-on-jerusalem-diplomats-26073">UN Security Council to meet Friday on Jerusalem: Diplomats</a>)

&quot;Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital,&quot; Trump said in a speech given from the White House.

&quot;It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,&quot; he said, urging calm and &quot;the voices of tolerance to prevail over the purveyors of hate.&quot;&nbsp;(Also Read - <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/opinion-trump-is-wrong-israel-alone-cant-claim-jerusalem-26037">Opinion: Trump is wrong; Israel alone can&#39;t claim Jerusalem</a>)

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US President Donald Trump delivers a statement on Jerusalem from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington as US Vice President Mike Pence looks on. (AFP)
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&nbsp;&#39;Courageous&#39; or &#39;deplorable&#39;? 
 
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Trump&#39;s &quot;deplorable and unacceptable&quot; move signified America&#39;s withdrawal as a sponsor of the peace process.

Hamas -- the Palestinian Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip -- warned that Trump had opened &quot;the gates of hell on US interests in the region.&quot;

And although welcomed by Israel&#39;s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a &quot;courageous and just decision,&quot; Trump&#39;s move left many angry US allies struggling to find a measured response -- and hoping that the tinderbox region is not destined for yet another round of bloodletting.

Through gritted teeth, Britain described the move as &quot;unhelpful&quot; and France called it &quot;regrettable.&quot; Germany said plainly that it &quot;does not support&quot; Trump&#39;s decision.

Eight countries including Britain, France and Italy pressed for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in response to the move, which was set for Friday.

The leaders of Muslim nations meanwhile deployed ever-harsher rhetoric to describe Trump&#39;s decision.

Turkey and Iran -- both vying for regional influence -- tried to give voice to the anger felt by many across the Muslim world.

Turkey called the decision &quot;irresponsible&quot; and illegal. Iran said it would &quot;provoke Muslims and inflame a new intifada.&quot;

Diplomatic fallout 
 
Trump also kicked off the process of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In doing so, he begins to make good on a campaign promise dear to evangelical Christian and right-wing Jewish voters -- as well as donors.

Trump&#39;s predecessors -- from Bill Clinton to George Bush -- had made the same promise, but quickly reneged upon taking office and assuming responsibility for war and peace.

The 45th US president was determined to show his arrival in Washington spells the end of business as usual, suggesting his predecessors failed to act though lack of &quot;courage.&quot;

Moving the embassy will probably take years to implement, but the repercussions of Trump&#39;s decision preceded even his announcement.

Hundreds of Palestinians burned US and Israeli flags as well as pictures of Trump in the Gaza Strip, while relatively small clashes erupted near the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron.

The Palestine Liberation Organization announced a strike across the West Bank Thursday, while Hamas called for a &quot;day of rage&quot; on Friday. &nbsp;

US government officials and their families were ordered to avoid Jerusalem&#39;s Old City and the West Bank, though the situation remained largely calm up until Trump&#39;s address.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, on a visit to Germany, said the United States had &quot;implemented robust security plans to protect the safety of Americans in affected regions.&quot;&nbsp;

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the main pan-Islamic body, in Istanbul next week to display joint action over Jerusalem.

Jordan and the Palestinians also requested an emergency meeting of the Arab League.

Peace still possible, US says

Most of the international community does not formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital, insisting the issue can only be resolved in negotiations -- a point reiterated by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the wake of Trump&#39;s decision.

Guterres implicitly criticized Trump, stressing his opposition to &quot;any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace.&quot;

Trump insisted the move did not prejudge final talks, saying it simply reflected the reality that west Jerusalem is and will continue to be part of Israel under any settlement.

&quot;This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do,&quot; Trump said.

&quot;Peace is never beyond the grasp of those willing to reach it,&quot; said the US leader, who declared that &quot;this decision is not intended in any way to reflect a departure from our strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace.&quot;

&quot;The United States would support a two-state solution if agreed to by both sides,&quot; Trump said, as he announced that Vice President Mike Pence would travel to the region in the coming days.

Trump further stated that the United States was not taking a position on any &quot;final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, or the resolution of contested borders.&quot;

&quot;Those questions are up to the parties involved,&quot; he said.

Israel seized the largely Arab eastern sector of Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, claiming both sides of the city as its capital.

The Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

Several peace plans have unravelled in the past decades over the issue of how to divide sovereignty or oversee holy sites in Jerusalem.

America's leader appeared further isolated, as allies and foes alike denounced his decision and Palestinians questioned whether their dream of statehood, as part of a peace deal brokered by Washington, was still possible

President Donald Trump recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital Wednesday, prompting an almost universal diplomatic backlash and fears of new bloodshed in the Middle East. Trump's defiant move, making good on a core campaign pledge, ended seven decades of US ambiguity on the status of the Holy City, which is vociferously claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians. America's leader appeared further isolated, as allies and foes alike denounced his decision and Palestinians questioned whether their dream of statehood, as part of a peace deal brokered by Washington, was still possible. But the US president claimed this marked the start of a "new approach" to solving the thorny Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Also Read - UN Security Council to meet Friday on Jerusalem: Diplomats) "Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital," Trump said in a speech given from the White House. "It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," he said, urging calm and "the voices of tolerance to prevail over the purveyors of hate." (Also Read - Opinion: Trump is wrong; Israel alone can't claim Jerusalem) US President Donald Trump delivers a statement on Jerusalem from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington as US Vice President Mike Pence looks on. (AFP) × 'Courageous' or 'deplorable'? Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Trump's "deplorable and unacceptable" move signified America's withdrawal as a sponsor of the peace process. Hamas -- the Palestinian Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip -- warned that Trump had opened "the gates of hell on US interests in the region." And although welcomed by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "courageous and just decision," Trump's move left many angry US allies struggling to find a measured response -- and hoping that the tinderbox region is not destined for yet another round of bloodletting. Through gritted teeth, Britain described the move as "unhelpful" and France called it "regrettable." Germany said plainly that it "does not support" Trump's decision. Eight countries including Britain, France and Italy pressed for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in response to the move, which was set for Friday. The leaders of Muslim nations meanwhile deployed ever-harsher rhetoric to describe Trump's decision. Turkey and Iran -- both vying for regional influence -- tried to give voice to the anger felt by many across the Muslim world. Turkey called the decision "irresponsible" and illegal. Iran said it would "provoke Muslims and inflame a new intifada." Diplomatic fallout Trump also kicked off the process of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In doing so, he begins to make good on a campaign promise dear to evangelical Christian and right-wing Jewish voters -- as well as donors. Trump's predecessors -- from Bill Clinton to George Bush -- had made the same promise, but quickly reneged upon taking office and assuming responsibility for war and peace. The 45th US president was determined to show his arrival in Washington spells the end of business as usual, suggesting his predecessors failed to act though lack of "courage." Moving the embassy will probably take years to implement, but the repercussions of Trump's decision preceded even his announcement. Hundreds of Palestinians burned US and Israeli flags as well as pictures of Trump in the Gaza Strip, while relatively small clashes erupted near the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron. The Palestine Liberation Organization announced a strike across the West Bank Thursday, while Hamas called for a "day of rage" on Friday. US government officials and their families were ordered to avoid Jerusalem's Old City and the West Bank, though the situation remained largely calm up until Trump's address. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, on a visit to Germany, said the United States had "implemented robust security plans to protect the safety of Americans in affected regions." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the main pan-Islamic body, in Istanbul next week to display joint action over Jerusalem. Jordan and the Palestinians also requested an emergency meeting of the Arab League. Peace still possible, US says Most of the international community does not formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, insisting the issue can only be resolved in negotiations -- a point reiterated by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the wake of Trump's decision. Guterres implicitly criticized Trump, stressing his opposition to "any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace." Trump insisted the move did not prejudge final talks, saying it simply reflected the reality that west Jerusalem is and will continue to be part of Israel under any settlement. "This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do," Trump said. "Peace is never beyond the grasp of those willing to reach it," said the US leader, who declared that "this decision is not intended in any way to reflect a departure from our strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace." "The United States would support a two-state solution if agreed to by both sides," Trump said, as he announced that Vice President Mike Pence would travel to the region in the coming days. Trump further stated that the United States was not taking a position on any "final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, or the resolution of contested borders." "Those questions are up to the parties involved," he said. Israel seized the largely Arab eastern sector of Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, claiming both sides of the city as its capital. The Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their future state. Several peace plans have unravelled in the past decades over the issue of how to divide sovereignty or oversee holy sites in Jerusalem.

Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital, sparks firestorm

The United Nations Security Council will meet on Friday at the request of eight states on the 15-member body over U.S. President Donald Trump&#39;s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, diplomats said on Wednesday.

The request for UN&nbsp;Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to publicly brief the Security Council meeting was made by France, Bolivia, Egypt, Italy, Senegal, Sweden, Britain and Uruguay, said diplomats.

Trump abruptly reversed decades of U.S. policy on Wednesday, generating outrage from Palestinians and defying warnings of Middle East unrest. Trump also plans to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

Israel considers the city its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there. Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city&#39;s eastern sector, which Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed in a move never recognised internationally.

&quot;The UN&nbsp;has given Jerusalem a special legal and political status, which the Security Council has called upon the international community to respect. That is why we believe the Council needs to address this issue with urgency,&quot; Deputy Swedish U.N. Ambassador Carl Skau said on Wednesday.

A UN&nbsp;Security Council resolution adopted in December last year &quot;underlines that it will not recognise any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations.&quot;

That resolution was approved with 14 votes in favour and an abstention by former U.S. President Barack Obama&#39;s administration, which defied heavy pressure from long-time ally Israel and Trump for Washington to wield its veto.

After Trump spoke on Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters: &quot;I have consistently spoken out against any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians.&quot;

&quot;In this moment of great anxiety, I want to make it clear: There is no alternative to the two-state solution. There is no Plan B,&quot; he said. &quot;I will do everything in my power to support the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to meaningful negotiations.&quot;

US&nbsp;Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley praised Trump&#39;s decision as &quot;the just and right thing to do.&quot;

The request for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to publicly brief the Security Council meeting was made by France, Bolivia, Egypt, Italy, Senegal, Sweden, Britain and Uruguay, said diplomats.

The United Nations Security Council will meet on Friday at the request of eight states on the 15-member body over U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, diplomats said on Wednesday. The request for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to publicly brief the Security Council meeting was made by France, Bolivia, Egypt, Italy, Senegal, Sweden, Britain and Uruguay, said diplomats. Trump abruptly reversed decades of U.S. policy on Wednesday, generating outrage from Palestinians and defying warnings of Middle East unrest. Trump also plans to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Israel considers the city its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there. Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city's eastern sector, which Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed in a move never recognised internationally. "The UN has given Jerusalem a special legal and political status, which the Security Council has called upon the international community to respect. That is why we believe the Council needs to address this issue with urgency," Deputy Swedish U.N. Ambassador Carl Skau said on Wednesday. A UN Security Council resolution adopted in December last year "underlines that it will not recognise any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations." That resolution was approved with 14 votes in favour and an abstention by former U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, which defied heavy pressure from long-time ally Israel and Trump for Washington to wield its veto. After Trump spoke on Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters: "I have consistently spoken out against any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians." "In this moment of great anxiety, I want to make it clear: There is no alternative to the two-state solution. There is no Plan B," he said. "I will do everything in my power to support the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to meaningful negotiations." US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley praised Trump's decision as "the just and right thing to do."

UN Security Council to meet Friday on Jerusalem: Diplomats

Even as President Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital, Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli forces in West Bank.

&quot;Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital,&quot; Trump said in a speech from the White House today.

&quot;It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,&quot; the US president said.&nbsp;

Just hours later, protesters in Al-Bireh and Bethlehem threw stones at Israeli troops as clashes erupted.

Israeli troops retaliated by throwing teargas shells and used to water cannons to disrupt the protesters.

17 people were injured, a doctor told Reuters.

An Israeli spokeswoman said soldiers used &nbsp;&quot;riot-dispersal gear against hundreds of rock-throwers&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Protesters in Al-Bireh and Bethlehem threw stones at Israeli troops as clashes erupted.

Even as President Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli forces in West Bank. "Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital," Trump said in a speech from the White House today. "It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," the US president said. Just hours later, protesters in Al-Bireh and Bethlehem threw stones at Israeli troops as clashes erupted. Israeli troops retaliated by throwing teargas shells and used to water cannons to disrupt the protesters. 17 people were injured, a doctor told Reuters. An Israeli spokeswoman said soldiers used "riot-dispersal gear against hundreds of rock-throwers".

Watch: After Trump's Jerusalem announcement, Palestinians clash with Israeli forces in West Bank

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