Trump says he'll move US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem

President Donald Trump speaks on his decision to shrink the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump speaks on his decision to shrink the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Published Dec 5, 2017

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Amman - US President Donald Trump phoned

Jordan's King Abdullah on Tuesday and told him he intends to go

ahead with a decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to

Jerusalem, a Jordanian palace statement said.

King Abdullah was quoted in the statement as telling Trump

that such a decision would have "dangerous repercussions on the

stability and security of the region" and would obstruct US efforts to resume Arab-Israeli peace talks.

It would also inflame Muslim and Christian feelings, the

king added.

US endorsement of Israel's claim to all of Jerusalem as

its capital would break with decades of U.S. policy that the

city's status must be decided in negotiations with the

Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of their

future state.

The international community does not recognize Israeli

sovereignty over the entire city.

King Abdullah warned Trump of the risks of any decision that

ran counter to a final settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict

based on the creation of an independent Palestinian state with

its capital in East Jerusalem.

"Jerusalem is the key to achieving peace and stability in

the region and the world," the palace statement said.

The monarch also phoned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

and said they had to both work together to "confront the

consequences of this decision."

King Abdullah's Hashemite dynasty is the custodian of the

Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, making Amman sensitive to any

changes of status of the disputed city. 

Reuters

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