‍By CGTN's The Point

“I think he is doing it mainly for domestic political purposes,” Daniel Serwer, a professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies and a Scholar at the Middle East Institute said, speaking of the motivation behind US president Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

“I don’t think the international implications, neither for the peace process, nor the objections of the UN, the EU, the Arab countries and the Palestinians, I don’t see that way at all in the President’s considerations. If he did, he would have done this in a very different way – giving at least something to the Palestinians in the statement, which gave absolutely nothing.”

In his speech from the White House, Trump called his decision “nothing more or less than recognition of reality” and a “long overdue step to advance the peace process and to work towards a lasting agreement.”

Marcus Sheff, CEO at IMPACT-SE, a research and policy advocacy organization that analyzes education in different countries, echoed Trump’s remarks.

“This is neither the end of world peace, nor is it the second declaration of Israel’s independence. It’s automatically a recognition of the fact that Israel has a capital in Jerusalem for 70 years,” he said.

“That is de facto recognized by all countries that are based in Israel and by visiting dignitaries. Ambassadors getting their cars in Tel Aviv every single day and they drive to Jerusalem to speak to the government. 55 foreign leaders have spoken at the Knesset in Jerusalem, Israel’s parliament. Those ambassadors are sworn in at the president’s resident in Jerusalem. So it is a recognition of the obvious.”

Sheff also believed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu owes Trump now and wondered what was discussed between the two leaders.

“The question is is there a deal? What is that deal? What would Mr. Netanyahu have to pay? And what would the Palestinians have to pay?” he asked.

According to Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian physician, activist and co-founded of the Palestinian National Initiative party, “in supporting the occupation of east Jerusalem and in supporting of violation of international law which does not allow the annexation of east Jerusalem to Israel, Mr. Trump has just eliminated completely and totally any role of his administration in any peace process. He has just aborted his own peace initiative before it is born.”

“Sadly, there hasn’t been a peace process for many years,” Sheff responded. “Now the Americans have a plan, obviously we are all waiting to see what that plan is. I think it needs to be given as much support as it possibly can, so that we can move forward.”   

But as Barghouti said, Trump has touched on an issue that is extremely sensitive to 1.6 billion Muslims, 2.2 billion Christians and 360 million Arabs.

“This is not a joke.”