Under Donald Trump, US recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital

Trump has also directed his government to begin preparations to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

IndiaToday.in  | Edited by Ganesh Kumar Radha Udayakumar
New Delhi, December 6, 2017 | UPDATED 23:54 IST
This is the Old City in Jerusalem, the combustible center of the Israeli-Arab conflict. (File photo: AP)This is the Old City in Jerusalem, the combustible center of the Israeli-Arab conflict. (File photo: AP)

US President Donald Trump has announced that it's time to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering," Trump said.

Trump has also directed his government to begin preparations to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem includes the holiest ground in Judaism. But it's also home to Islam's third-holiest shrine and major Christian sites, and forms the combustible center of the Israeli-Arab conflict. Any perceived harm to Muslim claims to the city has triggered volatile protests in the past, both in the Holy Land and across the Muslim world.

Until now, the US has never endorsed the Jewish state's claim of sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem and has insisted its status be resolved through Israeli-Palestinian negotiation.

Trump's recognition could be viewed as America discarding that longstanding position and siding with Israel at a time that the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has been trying to midwife a new peace process into existence.

WATCH | Excerpt from Trump's announcement on Jerusalem (Courtesy: Reuters/Twitter)

 

(Inputs from AP)