Diplomatic reaction to Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has been swift and unequivocal
ADVERTISEMENTThe European Commission is at the forefront of global diplomatic reaction to Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Trump abruptly reversed decades of US policy on Wednesday with the decision. It generated outrage from Palestinians and defied warnings of Middle East unrest.
Trump also plans to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
The US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley praised Trump's decision as "the just and right thing to do."
What they are saying
"President Trump's announcement on Jerusalem has a very worrying potential impact. It is a very fragile context and the announcement has the potential to send us backwards to even darker times than the ones we are already living in," - the EU's head of foreign policy, Federica Mogherini.
"Now, the new approach "whatever I say, goes" is what the US does. And this unfortunate and bad speech is going to cause trouble in the region. That is what I think," - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"I do not agree with this decision and I disapprove of it because it contravenes international law, it contravenes the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and France will defend its position at the Security Council," - French President Emmanuel Macron.
"The UN has given Jerusalem a special legal and political status which the Security Council has called upon the international community to respect. That is why we believe the Council needs to address this issue with urgency," - Deputy Swedish UN Ambassador Carl Skau.
Is the United Nations meeting?
Yes. The United Nations Security Council will meet on Friday at the request of eight states out of the 15 members.
On the agenda: the Trump Jerusalem decision, diplomats say.
Which countries asked for the meeting?
The request for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to publicly brief the Security Council was made by France, Bolivia, Egypt, Italy, Senegal, Sweden, Britain and Uruguay.
After Trump spoke on Wednesday, Guterres told reporters: "I have consistently spoken out against any unilateral measures that would jeopardise the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians."
"In this moment of great anxiety, I want to make it clear: There is no alternative to the two-state solution. T"
“In this moment of great anxiety, I want to make it clear: There is no alternative to the two-state solution. There is no Plan B,” he said. “I will do everything in my power to support the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to meaningful negotiations.”
But hasn't the UNSC has already debated the issue?
Yes. A UN Security Council resolution adopted in December last year "underlines that it will not recognise any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations."
That resolution was approved with 14 votes in favour and an abstention by former US President Barack Obama's administration, which defied heavy pressure from long-time ally Israel and Trump for Washington to wield its veto.
What is the status in dispute?
Because Israel considers the city its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there.
ADVERTISEMENTPalestinians, however, want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city's eastern sector. This was captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and annexed in a move never recognised internationally.