Trump: US embassy will move to Jerusalem
President intends to go ahead with campaign pledge despite warnings of violent backlash
DONALD TRUMP will today announce that the United States recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and that he is moving the US Embassy there from Tel Aviv, risking a furious backlash in the Middle East. Amid warnings the move would spark violent protests, senior officials said the US president was “recognising a historic and present reality”.
They said the process of moving the embassy would take “years” but Mr Trump had directed that the process be started, marking a dramatic shift in decades of US policy.
Mr Trump is expected to formally announce his decision in a speech today, in Washington at 6pm UK time.
One senior US official said: “US policy is going to be honest about a reality that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. It has been the capital of the Israeli people since ancient times. It’s undeniable, it’s just a fact.”
Mr Trump will not set out a timetable for moving the embassy, with one official pointing out that it took “eight years” to move the US Embassy in London. “We don’t just put a plaque on the door, there are major security concerns that have to be followed,” an official said. Around 1,000 personnel would have to be moved. No location has yet been picked in Jerusalem.
Mr Trump is also expected to say in his speech that he is committed to a peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and that he “understands Palestinian aspirations”.
Mr Trump informed Arab leaders last night that he is to move the embassy, despite their warnings that it could derail peace talks and lead to violent protests. The US president told Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and King Abdullah of Jordan that he would fulfil his campaign promise and break with nearly seven decades of
US Middle East policy. The decision to formally notify the Arab leaders ap- peared to signal that he is committed to the policy after months of deliberations. The status of Jerusalem is one of the most sensitive issues in the Israeli-palestinian conflict and Palestinian leaders insist there is no hope for a peace agreement unless they are able to set up their own capital in East Jerusalem. Israel insists the entire city is its “eter- nal and undivided capital”. King Abdullah, a close US ally, told Mr Trump that his “decision will have a dangerous impact on the security and stability of the Middle East” and will “undermine the efforts of the US to resume the peace process”. A spokesman for Mr Abbas condemned it as an “unacceptable action”. King Salman of Saudi Arabia warned Mr Trump that “such a dangerous step is likely to inflame the passions of Muslims around the world”. Palestinian factions called for three “days of rage” beginning today in protest at the decision. US embassies throughout the Muslim world have been warned to prepare for protests. Britain has said it has no plans to follow suit with the UK embassy.