On Wednesday US President Donald Trump made a public announcement about his decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The US President Donald Trump made a short statement at the White House that spurred bitter criticisms in Israel and all across the globe:
“I have determined that it is time to officially recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today I am delivering. I have judged this course of action to be in the best interests of the United States of America and the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. This is a long overdue step to advance the peace process and to work towards a lasting agreement.
“Israel is a sovereign nation with a right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital. Acknowledging this is a fact, is a necessary condition for achieving peace. Today we finally acknowledge the obvious that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. This is nothing more or less of a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. It’s something that has to be done. That is why, consistent with the Jerusalem Embassy Act, I am also directing the state department to begin preparation to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“This decision is not intended in any way to reflect a departure from our strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace agreement. The United States will support a two state solution, if agreed to by both sides.”
Post this announcement, Israel has seen protests all over and Palestinians called a three days of rage against Trump and his statement. Inside Gaza, thousands of Palestinians burned tires and protested with: “Death to America! Death to the fool Trump!” Many Palestinians went up to the border and threw stones at the soldiers on the other side.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya insisted that Palestinians should discard peace efforts and start a new rebellion against Israel as a response to Trump’s announcement. “This decision is an uncalculated gamble that will know no limit to the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim reaction,” he said.
“We call for stopping this decision fully because this will usher in the beginning of a time of terrible transformations, not just on the Palestinian level but on the region as a whole. This decision means the official announcement of the end of the peace process.”
Amidst all these, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Trump’s announcement and viewed it as a ‘courageous and just decision’.
Apart from the nation, the Arabs and the other Muslim countries disapproved Trump’s announcement and made some severe criticisms.
Other than the Palestinians, Malaysian PM Najib Razak, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, British PM Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Chief Diplomat Federica Mogherini disapproved Trump’s move and expressed serious consent about the same.