Donald Trump flouts warnings and declares Jerusalem 'capital of Israel' in historic announcement

The decision was condemned by leaders and prominent figures from around the globe.
Chloe Chaplain6 December 2017

President Donald Trump has defied worldwide warnings and declared that he officially recognises Jerusalem as the Israeli capital in a historic break from international policy.

Despite urgent appeals from Arab and European leaders and the risk of anti-American protests and violence, Trump declared it was time for a new approach to Mideast peace after decades of failure.

Calling Jerusalem Israel's capital, he said, was him recognising the obvious.

"We cannot solve our problems by making the same failed assumptions and repeating the same failed strategies of the past," the president said in a speech on Wednesday.

Donald Trump speaks at the White House
AP

He also said the U.S. would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, though he set no timetable as to when this would happen.

Ahead of Trump's speech, a wide array of world leaders warned that his declaration could severely damage Arab-Israeli peace prospects in a region wracked by instability.

They said recognizing Israel's claims to the city, however caveated, would infuriate Muslims and potentially spark protests and violence that might further fray American alliances.

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his nation was "profoundly grateful" and Trump's announcement was an "important step toward peace."

President Donald Trump speaks in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House
AP

However, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that the U.S. shift "is a declaration of withdrawal from the role it has played in the peace process."

In Gaza, hundreds of Palestinian protesters burned American and Israeli flags. They also waved Palestinian flags and banners proclaiming Jerusalem as their "eternal capital," language that Israelis similarly use. Even America's closest allies in Europe questioned the wisdom of Trump's departure from the past U.S. position, which was studiously neutral over the sovereignty of the city.

Angry Palestinians burned photos of Donald Trump
AP

"I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," Trump said in a White House address, calling his decision "overdue" and in America's best interests. "This is nothing more or less than the recognition of reality," he said.

Establishing a Jerusalem embassy was a major campaign promise of Trump's and one that officials said he had focused on in discussions with top advisers in recent weeks.

While Trump for the first time endorsed the concept of an independent Palestine existing alongside Israel, even that idea appeared conditional.

Palestinian protesters burn pictures of US president Donald Trump.
AFP/Getty Images

He said he would promote the "two-state solution" if both sides agree

Saudi Arabia's King Salman, one of several Arab leaders to speak to Trump this week, warned the U.S. leader Tuesday that declaring Jerusalem as Israel's capital "would constitute a flagrant provocation to all Muslims, all over the world." British Prime Minister Theresa May said she planned to call Trump to discuss her country's support for a two-state solution.

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