UNSC members warn against US decision on Jerusalem Israel strikes kill two in Gaza as rage simmers

Members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have criticised Washington's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and warned that it would raise tensions in the area even as Washington stood alone steadfastly defending its decision.

The political conflict over Jerusalem could turn into an unrelenting religious conflict, France's Permanent Representative Francois Delattre told an emergency meeting on Friday.

Citing several Council resolutions, he said that any unilateral changes to the city's status would be null and void. The international community would only recognise modifications of the 1967 borders accepted by both sides, he said in a statement that reflected the broad convergence of views of both US allies and others in the Council.One of the Council resolutions adopted in 1980 specifically asks member countries not to put their diplomatic missions in the "Holy City" considered sacred by Jews, Christians and Muslims. In contrast to the UN, where even Washington's allies crticised President Donald Trump's decision announced on Wednesday, there was a broad consensus in the US reflected in a law passed by Congress in 1995 move the embassy to Jerusalem.About 1,000 Retaliatory Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip killed two Hamas militants on Saturday, as unrest simmered across the Palestinian territories over US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. A total of four people have now been killed and dozens wounded since Trump announced his deeply controversial decision which drew criticism from every other member of the UN Security Council at an emergency meeting on Friday.

There were fresh clashes on Saturday as Palestinian protesters in the occupied West Bank hurled stones at Israeli troops who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds. In Gaza, mourners vented their anger at the funeral of one of two people killed by Israeli troops during clashes at the border fence on Thursday. There have been fears of a much larger escalation of violence after Hamas leader Ismail Haniya called for a new Palestinian intifada or uprising and analysts have been anxiously watching what happens next. Palestine supporters protested in New York's Times Square on Friday evening. Separated by police barriers across the avenue, a smaller group held a counter demonstration supporting Trump.

US Permanent Representative Nikki Haley reiterated the Trump administration's commitment to a peace process and to a two-state solution. "The US 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."

Haley said that it was "simple common sense" to move Washington's embassy to Jerusalem because "in virtually every country in the world, US embassies are located in the host country's capital city".British Permanent Representative Matthew Ryrcroft said that Jerusalem should be the joint capital of Israeli and Palestinian states and the US decision was unhelpful.

He said that the expansion of Israeli settlements, particularly in East Jerusalem, terrorism and incitement to violence were barriers to a lasting solution to the conflict there.

China's Deputy Permanent Representative Wu Haitao said that any unilateral actions on Jerusalem's status could trigger new confrontations.