President Donald Trump recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital Wednesday, a historic decision that overturns decades of US policy and risks triggering a fresh spasm of violence in the Middle East.
“Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital,” the US leader said in a speech from the White House.
“Acknowledging this as a fact is a necessary condition for achieving peace,” added the US leader, declaring: “It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”
“This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do.”
Mr Trump’s announcement plunges the United States into a decades-long dispute over a city considered holy by Jews, Muslims and Christians, and flies in the face of warnings from US allies and leaders across the Middle East.
The US president also kicked off the process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, making good on a campaign promise dear to evangelical Christian and right-wing Jewish voters – as well as donors.
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