Pressure mounts as Trump delays Jerusalem verdict

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Under the threat of creating widespread unrest, US President Donald Trump delayed a decision on Monday about whether to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the US embassy there.

After a frantic 48 hours of public warnings from allies and private phone calls between world leaders, the White House said Trump would miss a deadline to decide on shifting the embassy from Tel Aviv.

Officials said the mercurial president has yet to make his final decision, but is expected to stop short of moving the embassy to Jerusalem outright – a central campaign pledge which has been postponed once already by the new administration.

"The president has been clear on this issue from the get-go: It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when," said White House spokesman Hogan Gidley, who said a declaration on the move would be made "in the coming days."

However, domestic politics may push Trump toward recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital instead. It would be a positive gesture towards conservative voters and donors.

Any move by Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital would be warmly welcomed by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. /AFP Photo

The status of Jerusalem is a key issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both Israelis and Palestinians claiming the city as their capital.

With Trump's decision looming, leaders from across the Middle East and elsewhere increased public warnings against any shift in decades-old US policy.

The Elysee Palace said in a statement that French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to US counterpart Donald Trump over the phone on Monday and expressed concern over a possible US unilateral decision about Jerusalem.

Macron "expressed his concern over the possibility that the United States unilaterally recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel" to Trump, according to the statement.

The status of Jerusalem, Macron said, will have to be settled as part of the peace talks between Israel and Palestine.

The peace negotiations aimed in particular at the establishment of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Jerusalem as capital, it said.

The two leaders have agreed to talk to each other again soon about this issue.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner delivers remarks on the Trump administration's approach to the Middle East region at the Saban Forum in Washington, US, December 3, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Israeli defense minister Avigdor Lieberman urged Trump to grasp a "historic opportunity."

But from elsewhere in the region the message was clear: Don't do it.

"If the status of Jerusalem is changed and another step is taken... that would be a major catastrophe," Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said.

"It would completely destroy the fragile peace process in the region, and lead to new conflicts, new disputes and new unrest."

In 1995, the US Congress passed the so-called Jerusalem Embassy Act recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and stating that the US embassy should be moved there.

Source(s): AFP ,Xinhua News Agency