America launches the economic side of the Middle East peace plan amid skepticism

[mr.unlikely]

Since when does any country decide what city is the capital of any other country? Last time I checked Israel was a sovereign nation. Shouldn't they decide for themselves? What kind of  bizzarro world are we living in? 

[3n1]

Sadar is just a hair off .....I've read the back of the Book Israel is the capital of the world ... Peace dv 

[davis411]

2 hours ago, mr.unlikely said:

Since when does any country decide what city is the capital of any other country? Last time I checked Israel was a sovereign nation. Shouldn't they decide for themselves? What kind of  bizzarro world are we living in? 

waynes world runs alot smoother then this world

add cheech and chong and its still better then what we have

 

 

[new york kevin]

So Sadar, Abbas, and Hamas, when did the old intifada end ? Still going on it seems to me. A lull in the fighting means that fighting is still going on. Abbas, what peace process will be upset if USA recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The peace process that is modeled after North Korea's idea of negotiation. Promise to come to the table and discuss matters if the great satan, the USA , gives us a couple of hundred million first. Then when the "tax" is paid you have a few years of fruitless meetings, there is a lull in the fighting by Hamas, ah oh I mean the PLO, the Army of Palestine, or army of Iran ... whatever they all blur, tough to keep it straight sometimes. And you shoot off rockets as though that action is not provocative, incendiary, and has no effect on negotiations. Rogue members of a street gang ... blah, blah,blah. This Prez don't play that game hommie. You forget that our Judeo/Christian culture also claims this city as theirs. There is also a covering our God has over that country, whoever curses Israel will also be cursed. You lost claim to that city, the west bank, and gaza,  when you all tried to wipe Israel off the map. Israel was fine and happy within the borders they had. Nah, but 3 or 4 nations had to throw down against them. Now yo are crying cuz you got wounds that you won't let heal. Because you speak peace, while not really being able to live in peace. Lay down or do what your gonna do, because Israel will continue to do what it does and the USA WILL CONTINUE TO BACK THEM.

[newbieDA]

JMHO, do not worry about this too much. The Trump Administration is throwing it out there is all I think. Stirring the pot is all and seeing what people can say about it, gathering input while lighting the flames. A typical tactic to bring this up, while really gives negotiated power on something else later on. This demonstrates the power is all. They want something else.

[SnowGlobe7]

5 minutes ago, newbieDA said:

JMHO, do not worry about this too much. The Trump Administration is throwing it out there is all I think. Stirring the pot is all and seeing what people can say about it, gathering input while lighting the flames. A typical tactic to bring this up, while really gives negotiated power on something else later on. This demonstrates the power is all. They want something else.

 

I agree Trump is all about business. Everything is a chess move for him. 

[WheresmyRV?]

Someone needs to stuff Sadr's ugly mouth with some pork chops and needs to have his trap shut.

[Butifldrm]

OSTED ON 2017-12-04 BY SOTALIRAQ

Sadr's followers are demonstrating in Baghdad, denouncing Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel

Hundreds of followers of the Sadrist movement, on Monday, in Tahrir Square in the Iraqi capital Baghdad to denounce the move by US President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Demonstrators held banners proclaiming the "Arab identity of Jerusalem."

The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, on Sunday, US President, Donald Trump not to interfere in the affairs of Jerusalem, pointing out that "Jerusalem is the Lord protect him and the people redeemed and we are behind them dahir."

The White House last June issued a postponement to meet the semi-annual deadline for compliance with one of the laws issued in 1995, which provides for the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, or explain why this is contrary to US national security interests .

For his part, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday warned of the possible consequences of the move, which would prevent Palestinians

from claiming East Jerusalem.

https://www.sotaliraq.com/2017/12/04/أتباع-الصدر-يتظاهرون-في-بغداد-تنديداً/

[jmartin1145]

Are all the people in the middle east brain dead monkeys?

[md11fr8dawg]

I don't know about brain dead, but the other part is about right!1

[Donziman]

This is why the Guru pumpers can predict an RV only four weeks from any

point in time. These religious groups will never stay still for anything meaningful

to happen.and thus another reason to hold up and get off track.

[Butifldrm]

Erdogan, Saudis Warn That Recognizing Jerusalem As Capital Would Be A "Red Line", Have "Catastrophic Consequences"

 

 

by Tyler Durden

Dec 5, 2017 7:46 AM

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Two weeks ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won an important concession from President Donald Trump when, in a phone call, Erdogan coaxed a promise from his American partner to stop arming US-backed Kurdish resistance fighters in Syria. But that gesture of goodwill could be swiftly forgotten if Trump follows through with a plan to officially declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel – an act that Erdogan and many other Muslim leaders have said would be a “red line” that could force Turkey and several other Muslim states to break off diplomatic relations with Israel.

In a speech, Erdogan said the recognition of Jerusalem by the US would force Turkey to call an Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit and consider severing ties with Israel.

 

 

"Jerusalem is the red line for Muslims. Such a decision will be a heavy blow for all mankind. We will not leave it. We will fight to the end. We may even reach a severance of diplomatic relations with Israel. I once again warn the United States not to take steps that will further deepen the crisis in the region," Erdogan said.

Israel has long claimed Jerusalem as its capital. The city hosts much of the infrastructure of the Israeli government. But the ancient city – which contains the venerated Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam – is also viewed as the logical capital of a Palestinian state. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as their rightful capital, while Israeli’s claim the whole city, according to the Telegraph.

In addition, Erdogan said he would convene a summit meeting of countries of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation to oppose the US’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Most world powers recognize Tel Aviv as Israel’s capital, and no embassies are presently based in Jerusalem.

 

 

Abdullah Bozkurt@abdbozkurt

 

#Erdogan slams @realDonaldTrump over possible steps to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, says he will mobilize entire Islamic world, describes the move as a red-line for Muslims & will lead Turkey's severing ties with #Israel.

4:25 AM - Dec 5, 2017

 

•  

 

 

Saudi Arabia has also spoken out strongly against any possible US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Kingdom and Israel have both targeted Lebanon in an anti-Iran, anti-Shia alliance of convenience. KSA expressed its "grave and deep concern" about such a possible recognition from the US. In a statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the kingdom affirms the rights of Palestinian people regarding Jerusalem, which the ministry said "cannot be changed."

The statement also warned that this step would "provoke sentiments of Muslims throughout world,” according to the Associated Press.

Prince Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the US, added that Trump's looming decision on the status of Jerusalem "would have a detrimental impact on the peace process and would heighten tensions in the region."

US officials have said Trump could recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital later this week. The move would represent something of a compromise: Trump had promised to move the US embassy to Jerusalem during the campaign.

Palestinians would be infuriated by the decision. Majdi Khaldi, a diplomatic adviser of President Mahmoud Abbas, said the Palestinian leadership would "stop contacts" with the US if Trump recognized Jerusalem – making Jared Kushner’s job of solving the Israel-Palestine conflict even more difficult than it already is, according to the Associated Press.

Khaldi said the US would lose credibility as a mediator in the Middle East if the US President went ahead with the move.

Early Tuesday, Husam Zomlot, the top representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization in the US, said that Washington recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital would have "catastrophic consequences" and prompt a "strategic and political" response from the PLO.

Israel captured east Jerusalem, which is home to major Muslim, Christian and Jewish holy sites, in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel quickly annexed the eastern part of the city, declaring the whole of the city as its capital in 1980 – a declaration that has not been recognized internationally. The United Nations believes that the status of the city should be decided during peace talks.

Such a decision, which US officials have said has not been finalized, would violate decades of US policy not to take a stance on the fate of Jerusalem, on the grounds it was an issue Israelis and Palestinians should negotiate and decide for themselves. Many diplomats fear recognizing Jerusalem could unleash violence throughout the region and possibly make US diplomatic missions a target.

 

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-05/erdogan-tells-trump-declaring-jerusalem-capital-israel-would-be-red-line

[Butifldrm]

• Jerusalem Post
•  
• Arab-Israeli Conflict

TRUMP TOLD ABBAS HE INTENDS TO MOVE EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM, PA REPORTS

• >
   US officials warn Trump not to call Jerusalem Israel's capital

BY ADAM RASGON

 

 DECEMBER 5, 2017 18:27

 

Over the weekend, a number of US media outlets reported that Trump is going to deliver a speech on Wednesday in which he will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

1 minute read.

 

 

 

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during their meeting at the presidential headquarters in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, May 23, 2017. (photo credit: REUTERS)

 

United States President Donald Trump spoke to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday about “his intention” to move the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Abbas’s spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeinah said on Tuesday.

The Wafa report did not say when Trump plans to move the embassy.

In his campaign for the American presidency, Trump promised to relocate the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Abu Rudeinah said that the PA president warned Trump of “the gravity of consequences” moving the US Embassy in Tel Aviv would have “for the peace process and security and stability in the region and world.”

On Tuesday, Trump also reportedly spoke to Jordanian King Abdullah and Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Palestinian officials have said that the relocation of the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem would spell the end of America’s role as an interlocutor in the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.

Relocating the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem “totally destroys any chance that he can play a role as an honest broker,” Nabil Shaath, Abbas’s international affairs adviser, said.

Trump also spoke to Jordanian King Abdullah about his intention to relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem, the Jordanian Royal Court’s official website reported. 

 

http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Trump-calls-Abbas-on-the-eve-of-potential-embassy-move-517063

 

[boosterbglee]

Do we really want to stir up this hornets nest?  Seems like they (middle east) really don't need many reason's to fight and kill someone!  JMO 

[Butifldrm]

Trump Reportedly Tells Mideast Leaders He Intends To Move Embassy To Jerusalem

 

 

by Tyler Durden

Dec 5, 2017 12:47 PM

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Update: With local news reporting that Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, one of his most trusted allies in the region, it's becoming clear that Trump is calling leaders in the region to prepare them for the US's decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem - a decision that will likely outrage much of the region. According to Reuters, Trump told both Palestinian and Jordanian leaders, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his intentions.

One by one, world leaders - most recently Jordna's King Abdullah - have warned that such a move would have "dangerous repercussions" for security and stability in the region.

Meanwhile, the State Department is warning consulates across the world to prepare to boost security if Trump decides to move the embassy. Trump promised to move the embassy during his campaign but decided to delay back in June, according to the Daily Caller.

State has urged consulates across the world to boost security if President Donald Trump announces a relocation of the embassy in Israel.

“The impending Jerusalem announcement has me very worried about the possibility of violent responses that could affect embassies,” a State Department official told Politico. “I hope I’m wrong."

Israeli security agencies have met over the past few days to prepare for riots and other attacks, according to the Ynet news agency. Authorities believe Trump’s announcement could spark attacks from established terror groups, as well as so-called “lone wolf” terrorists.

* * *

After warning that he could officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital by the end of the week - an announcement that drew vociferous objections from Turkey and Saudi Arabia, who both warned that such a declaration would irreparably damage US ties with the Muslim world - Palestinian sources are reporting that President Donald Trump told Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas that the US intends to eventually move its embassy to Jerusalem - a contested city that is claimed as a capital by both Israel and the Palestinian territories.

As we noted earlier, the decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital would infuriate Palestinians.

Majdi Khaldi, a diplomatic adviser of President Mahmoud Abbas, said the Palestinian leadership would "stop contacts" with the US if Trump recognized Jerusalem – making Jared Kushner’s job of solving the Israel-Palestine conflict even more difficult than it already is. Khaldi said the US would lose credibility as a mediator in the Middle East if the US President went ahead with the move. Kushner had earlier said Trump hadn't made a final decision.

On the call with Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other regional leaders, Abbas warned Trump that moving the embassy could have "dangerous consequences."

Readouts of the calls are expected later Tuesday.

Trump was expected to announce as soon as Wednesday that the US would recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move its embassy there (though some expected that he would delay the embassy move, but stress that he would eventually like to do so, according to local Israeli media.)

Israel considers Jerusalem its true capital, and the western part of the city is host to many of the Israeli state's administrative functions.

If Trump follows through with what he told Abbas, his actions this week would be considerably more dramatic than anticipated.

 

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-05/trump-tells-abbas-he-intends-move-embassy-jerusalem

[Butifldrm]

 

 

• Jerusalem Post
•  
• Arab-Israeli Conflict

PALESTINIANS: THREE DAYS OF RAGE OVER TRUMP'S DECISION ON JERUSALEM

• >
   Turkey's Erdogan threatens cutting ties with Israel over Jerusalem issue
• >
   Abbas urges Putin, Pope to intervene ahead of Trump decision

BY YASSER OKBI/MAARIV

 

 DECEMBER 5, 2017 19:03

 

In a joint statement, the Palestinian "national and Islamic forces" announced three days of rage that would begin tomorrow and end on Friday.

 

 

US Embassy in Tel Aviv. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

 

The Palestinian factions announced three days of rage from Wednesday to Friday in protest of US President Donald Trump's announcement to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to transfer the American embassy from Tel Aviv.

The Palestinian factions called President Trump's policy "political blackmail, which would destroy his ability to achieve regional or colonialist achievements in the region."
 

In a joint statement, the Palestinian "national and Islamic forces" announced three days of rage that would begin Wednesday and end on Friday. "We call on all our people in Israel and around the world to gather in city centers and Israeli embassies and consulates, with the aim of bringing about general popular anger," the statement said.

The statement added that "a huge protest should be launched in order to reject out of hand the attempts of the US administration to transfer the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem or recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel. The right of the people and the nation to act in all legal and diplomatic ways within the international community, the international law in the Hague, in order to torpedo this attempt," the statement said, calling for an emergency meeting of the leaders of the Islamic countries and the Jerusalem Committee to emphasize their rejection of the American moves in Jerusalem.

"President Abbas warned of the danger of President Trump's decision on the peace, security and stability process in the region and in the world," spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaina said.

According to Ruadina, Abbas "reiterated our firm position that there is no Palestinian state without East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with the decisions of the international community and the Arab peace initiative."

"President Abbas will continue his contacts with world leaders to prevent this unacceptable step," added Rudaina.

The Jordanians also announced that King Abdullah had been briefed by Trump on the issue of Jerusalem. King Abdullah said in response that "Jerusalem is the key to achieving peace of stability in the region and in the entire world."

The official Jordanian news agency, Petra, noted that King Abdullah warned Trump of the danger in such a step that he was out of reach for a comprehensive solution to the establishment of a Palestinian state and the capital of East Jerusalem. 

"Such a decision would be dangerous to the security and stability of the Middle East, and would lead to the collapse of American efforts for peace, and would also lead to strong reactions among Muslims and Christians," Abdullah said. According to the Jordanian news agency, the king discussed the issue with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and stressed Jordan's full support for the Palestinians' protection of their rights in Jerusalem, including a united action against Trump's decision to undermine the hopes of the Palestinians for the establishment of a state and its capital in East Jerusalem.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI sent a letter to President Trump, stressing that "Jerusalem must be a city of coexistence." "The transfer of the American embassy to Jerusalem will affect the fair settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," he said.

 

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Palestinians-three-days-of-rage-over-Trumps-decision-on-Jerusalem-517081

[yota691]

American Muslim organizations refuse to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel

- 1 Hour Ago

 

 14

US and Islamic organizations on Tuesday condemned President Donald H. Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move his country's embassy from Tel Aviv. 
The Secretary-General of the American Council of Islamic Organizations, Osama Jamal, said that Israel found a "golden opportunity" to push Trump towards the implementation of its agenda because of his hatred of Islam. 
Jamal said in an interview with the Anatolia News Agency that Arab rulers tend to give up their positions on Jerusalem as long as that preserves their positions in power. 
Gamal believes that the days, months and years to come will be the witness of the attachment and pride of Arabs and Muslims to Palestine and Jerusalem.
"The recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is not only a moral error, it is against our strategic interests in the region and in the Muslim world," said Nihad Awad, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). 
Awad said the US president made his decision despite advising White House and foreign policy advisers and leaders here and around the world not to do so. 
Osama Abu Arshid, director of internal policy for Muslim Americans for Palestine, described President Trump's decision on Jerusalem as "reckless." 
Jerusalem had repeatedly demonstrated its ability to ignite wide-ranging disturbances in that part of the world and expected that there would be some kind of reaction that could change mechanisms in the region.
He added that this crisis may push the peoples of the region to unite and face the atrocities they are going through. 
The representative of the Virginia Coalition for Human Rights, Bad Hensingen, told a news conference in Washington that his organization opposed the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem just as opposed to the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 
The head of the Islamic Department in North America, Zahid Bukhari, also described the US president's position as contrary to his slogan "America first," because he puts Israel first. 
Commenting on the decision, Nathan Feldman, a Jewish American supporter of the Israeli boycott movement, said Trump was trying to shift a sensitive position to a more turbulent situation, which would have catastrophic consequences for Israeli and Palestinian civilians alike.
The White House announced on Tuesday that Trump would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Wednesday and would instruct the US State Department to take measures to begin transferring the country's embassy to Jerusalem instead of Tel Aviv.

Source: Anatolia Agency

[yota691]

An emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers to discuss moves on Jerusalem next Saturday

 

 Since 2017-12-06 at 13:54 (Baghdad time)

An emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers to discuss moves on Jerusalem next Saturday

[Butifldrm]

Arab League plans to hold emergency session next Saturday on Jerusalem

06/12/2017 02:54 | Number of readings: 1

font size:  

Trend Press / Agencies

The Council of the League of Arab States announced on Wednesday that it will hold an emergency meeting next Saturday to discuss the Arab moves on the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

According to Egyptian media: "The Council of the League of Arab States will be held at the level of Arab foreign ministers in an extraordinary session on Saturday at the request of Palestine and Jordan to consider developments regarding the upcoming announcement of the US President on his country's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Zionists "He said.

She quoted a memo to the representative of the State of Palestine that "the meeting will discuss the consideration of Arab movements due to this possible change in the American position that affects the status of Jerusalem and its legal and historical status "He said.

The spokesman for the US administration has announced in a statement that President Donald Trump will ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin work on the transfer of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

 

http://aletejahtv.org/permalink/194983.html

 

MT

[Butifldrm]

 

 

 

Home | Arab and international

Washington publishes "Marines" to protect its embassies in the Middle East

06/12/2017 02:37 | Number of readings:

font size:  

Trend Press / Agencies

US authorities have decided to deploy US Marines to protect a number of their embassies in the Middle East in anticipation of the consequences of the expected recognition of US President Donald Trump in occupied Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli occupation entity .

According to the media, Trump will officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli entity, a move that will fuel tension in the Middle East .

The US media quoted US military officials as saying that the deployment of special forces from the "Marines" precautionary measure, to ensure the security and safety of US diplomatic missions in the Middle East.

http://aletejahtv.org/permalink/194981.html

MT

[gregp]

I’ll bet the staff in the embassies are puckering up. 🙀🙀

[gregp]

So which of the 10 Kings shall attack Israel?

[DoD]

57 minutes ago, Butifldrm said:

Arab League plans to hold emergency session next Saturday on Jerusalem

 

I bet their gonna have sanctions against the USA and their allies. After the announcement the papers will read, starting today no Arab League country will accept any loans or military support from the USA. Today going forward no Arab League country will stop the slaughter of each others civilians or bombing. These actions should make Trump an America rethink this crazy policy about Jerusalem...

While making his trip to Saudi Arabia, an other countries last month he probably behind closed doors gave them a little heads up to this for coming announcement...

[magawatt]

On 12/3/2017 at 7:12 PM, Floridian said:

WOW!  I can't believe it!  

 

They just got rid of Daash, and now they want to fight Trump over Jerusalem.  What the hell is wrong with these people?  They can't have 5 minutes of peace before looking to fight again?  I will never understand them.  

 

Are you referring to Bagdad or Washington?

On 12/3/2017 at 7:12 PM, Floridian said:

 

 

 

[Butifldrm]

"Declaration Of War": Trump Jerusalem Decision Sparks Outrage, Warning Of "A Fire With No End In Sight"

 

 

by Tyler Durden

Dec 6, 2017 8:28 AM

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Today at 1pm, president Trump will announce the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but will sign a waiver delaying the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to there for 6 months. Trump's decision to unilaterally recognize Jerusalem upends decades of American policy in the Middle East and risks inflaming violence in an already-tense region. And sure enough, the announcement prompted an immediate - and furious - response sparking Arab, Muslim and European opposition to a move that risks violent protests.

While Israel naturally welcomed the news, Palestinian officials declared the Mideast peace process “finished”, calling it a declaration of war, and Turkey announced it would host a meeting of Islamic nations next week to give Muslim countries’ leaders an opportunity to coordinate a response.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II, warned him the announcement would have “dangerous” repercussions for regional stability. Separately, the Palestinian delegate to the United Kingdom said on Wednesday that President Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel signals "a declaration of war" in the region. “He is declaring war in the Middle East, he is declaring war against 1.5 billion Muslims, hundreds of millions of Christians that are not going to accept the holy shrines to be totally under the hegemony of Israel,” Manuel Hassassian told BBC 4 Radio's "Today."

The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state and fear that Trump’s declaration essentially imposes on them a disastrous solution for one of the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “There is no way that there can be talks with the Americans. The peace process is finished. They have already pre-empted the outcome,” said Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi. “They cannot take us for granted.”

The U.S. decision “destroys the peace process,” added Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. Top Palestinian officials were meeting Wednesday to plot their course forward.

Elsewhere, the Turkish government’s spokesman on Wednesday said that the United States’ decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will plunge the region and the world into “a fire with no end in sight”.

“Declaring Jerusalem a capital is disregarding history and the truths in the region, it is a big injustice/cruelty, shortsightedness, foolishness/madness, it is plunging the region and the world into a fire with no end in sight,” Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Twitter. “I call on everyone to act logically, respect the agreements they signed and behave reasonably, avoid risking world peace for domestic politics or other reasons,” he said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the “whole world is against” Trump’s move. He says that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would be a “grave mistake” and would “not bring any stability, peace but rather chaos and instability.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would be a “red line” for Muslims and “a big blow to the conscience of humanity.” The leader of NATO ally Turkey warned that the US taking such a step would force Ankara to sever diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. Erdogan has called for an emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on December 13 to discuss the possibility of Jerusalem becoming Israel’s capital.

The Council of the League of Arab States released a statement calling the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital an act of “open aggression” against “the rights of the Palestinian people and all Muslims and Christians.”

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has also blasted Washington's decision to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem as a display of incompetence. "That they claim they want to announce Quds as the capital of occupied Palestine is because of their incompetence and failure," Khamenei said, using the Arabic name for Jerusalem.

The Syrian government also weighed in on the planned move. "[The move] is the culmination of the crime of usurping Palestine and displacing the Palestinian people," a Foreign Ministry official told state news agency SANA.

On Tuesday, Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem were spotted burning photographs of Donald Trump and holding signs reading “Move the embassy to your country, not ours,” and “Jerusalem, Palestine's heart, is not up to negotiations.”

Palestinian protesters burn Trump pictures in Bethlehem on December 5, 2017

* * *

The harsh global reaction cast questions about the feasibility of a brewing U.S. peace plan that is expected to be presented by the White House in the near future.

The one winner, Israel, was happy with the outcome: Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Facebook that “Our historical national identity is receiving important expressions everyday.” He said he would comment further later in the day. Other members of his Cabinet were more forthcoming. Education Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the nationalist Jewish Home party, praised what he called Trump’s “bold and yet natural” move.

“The sooner the Arab world recognizes Jerusalem as our capital, the sooner we will reach real peace. Real peace that is not predicated on an illusion that we are going to carve up Jerusalem and carve up Israel,” Bennett told The Associated Press on the sidelines of the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference.

Other international leaders, however, swiftly criticized Trump’s plan.

According to AP, Pope Francis said he was “profoundly concerned” and appealed that “everyone respects the status quo of the city.” China, which has good ties with Israel and the Palestinians, expressed concerns over “possible aggravation of regional tensions.” Two leading Lebanese newspapers published front-page rebukes of Trump.

 

 

Britain’s Foreign Minister, Boris Johnson, who had already expressed concern about the U.S. decision, on Wednesday said it was now time for the Americans to present their peace plan for the region.

 

Trump’s Mideast team, led by his adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have spent months meeting with Israeli, Palestinian and Arab leaders. Details of their long awaited plan remain a mystery.

 

“Clearly this is a decision that makes it more important than ever that the long-awaited American proposals on the Middle East peace process are now brought forward,” Johnson told reporters in Brussels.

 

In his speech, Trump was expected to instruct the State Department to begin the multi-year process of moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. It remained unclear,  however, when he might take that physical step, which is required by U.S. law but has been waived on national security grounds for more than two decades.

 

The officials said numerous logistical and security details, as well as site determination and construction, could take three or four years to sort out.

To that end, the officials said Trump would delay the embassy move by signing a waiver, which is required by U.S. law every six months. He will continue to sign the waiver until preparations for the embassy move are complete.

 

 

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity pending Trump’s announcement, said the decision was merely an acknowledgment of “historical and current reality” rather than a political statement and said the city’s physical and political borders will not be compromised. They noted that almost all of Israel’s government agencies and parliament are in Jerusalem, rather than Tel Aviv, where the U.S. and other countries maintain embassies.

Still, the declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital carries deep symbolic significance and could have dangerous consequences. The competing claims to east Jerusalem, the section of the city captured by Israel in 1967, have frequently boiled over into deadly violence over the years. East Jerusalem is home to the city’s most sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, as well as its 330,000 Palestinian residents.

* * *

The United States has never endorsed the Jewish state’s claim of sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem and has insisted its status be resolved through Israeli-Palestinian negotiation.

The mere consideration of Trump changing the status quo sparked a renewed U.S. security warning on Tuesday. America’s consulate in Jerusalem ordered U.S. personnel and their families to avoid visiting Jerusalem’s Old City or the West Bank, and urged American citizens in general to avoid places with increased police or military presence.

Israel is bracing for demonstrations in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem ahead of Trump’s announcement. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are preparing for violence after Hamas called for a “day of rage” in response to Trump’s controversial decision. The main demonstration is planned for Thursday afternoon at al-Manara Square in Ramallah. People from across the West Bank are expected to participate.

On Wednesday, a large demonstration is scheduled to take place in Jenin. Israeli police and military are also preparing for demonstrations near the American embassy in Tel Aviv. Thousands of Israeli law enforcers are expected to be on duty in Jerusalem on Friday.

Foreign governments are already anticipating violence. The German Foreign Ministry updated its travel advice for Israel and the Palestinian territories on Wednesday, warning that “from December 6, 2017, there may be demonstrations in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Violent clashes cannot be ruled out."

The US State Department also issued a travel warning, urging government employees and their families not to visit Jerusalem's Old City or the West Bank.

As a result, many have speculated overnight if instead promoting peace, Trump's or rather Kushner's decision wasn't a catalyst for even more deadly fighting in the region, which would only ultimately benefit the US military-industrial complex.

 

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-06/declaration-war-trump-jerusalem-decision-sparks-outrage-warning-fire-no-end-sight