US, foreign officials warn Trump not to call Jerusalem capital

This article is more than 12 months old

Dec 06, 2017 06:00 am

WASHINGTON The possibility that United States President Donald Trump may recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital has stirred opposition from US and foreign officials, who fear it could unleash violence.

Such a decision would violate decades of US policy not to take a stance on the fate of Jerusalem on the grounds that this was an issue Israelis and Palestinians should negotiate and decide.

A senior US official said last week that Mr Trump was likely to make the announcement recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital today, though his adviser and son-in-law, Mr Jared Kushner, on Sunday said no final decision had been made.

Mr Kushner is leading Mr Trump's efforts to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, efforts that so far have shown little progress.

The White House said it would not take any action on Monday on whether to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, something that Mr Trump had promised to do.

But he is expected to sign the order, according to several US officials. One said Mr Trump is likely to accompany the signing with an order for his aides to begin serious planning for an eventual embassy move, though it was unclear whether he would establish a strict timetable.