Visit the new AsenaTv Website

https://asenatv.com

Defiant Trump confirms US will recognise Jerusalem as capital of Israel

Donald Trump has defied overwhelming global opposition by declaring US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but insisted that the highly controversial move would not derail his own administration’s bid to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian

Donald Trump has defied overwhelming global opposition by declaring US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but insisted that the highly controversial move would not derail his own administration’s bid to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In remarks delivered in the diplomatic reception room of the White House, Trump called his decision “a long overdue” step to advance the peace process.

Trump said: “All challenges demand new approaches. My announcement today marks the beginning of a new approach to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

The president said that the US remained committed to a two-state solution, and insisted that he was not dictating how much of Jerusalem should constitute Israel’s capital – leaving open the possibility that East Jerusalem would be the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Trump said “we are not taking a position on any final status issues” of which the fate of the holy city is one of the most emotive, and that it would be up to Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate boundaries.

“The United States remains deeply committed to helping facilitate a peace agreement that is acceptable to both sides. I intend to do everything in my power to help forge such an agreement.”

He went on: “There will of course be disagreement and dissent regarding this announcement – but we are confident that ultimately, as we work through these disagreements, we will arrive at a place of greater understanding and cooperation.”

White House officials have said that there would be no immediate move of the US embassy, as it would take at least three years to plan and build new facilities in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, the embassy will remain in Tel Aviv and Trump would continue to sign six-monthly waivers to the Jerusalem embassy act of 1995, in which Congress demanded an immediate move and threatened to take punitive measures against the state department’s budget until it was carried out.

Trump’s decision has been denounced around the world as a destabilising move in an already tense and turbulent region. A Palestinian envoy called it a “declaration of war” and protests are planned in the Palestinian territories.

Pope Francis has called for Jerusalem’s “status quo” – by which it has been treated as a special territory outside state sovereignty – to be respected, warning that it could further inflame world conflicts. China and Russia also expressed concern the plans could aggravate Middle East hostilities.

Israel’s government rushed to congratulate Trump for the speech. President Reuven Rivlin said: “The recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and the relocation of all embassies to the city, is a landmark in the recognition of the right of the Jewish people to our land, and a milestone on our road to peace – peace for all the residents of Jerusalem, and the whole region.”

But in a social club in the heart of Jerusalem’s Shuafat refugee camp, young Palestinian men grew increasingly angry as they watched the speech.

“This is shit. This is shit,” a man called Abu Atya told the Guardian in English. “He’s just said Jerusalem is the capital of Israel! This speech is going to cause big trouble.”

Another man, Hamdi Dyab, grew incredulous and increasingly agitated as he watched the speech, translated into Arabic on a Palestinian television channel.

“He’s saying he’s going to move the embassy,” he said. “This is very dangerous speech. Things don’t look good. We are calling for a new intifada.”

Another man shouted: “He’s pulled the trigger.”

Earlier, Sheikh Abdullah al-Qam, the coordinator of a Jerusalem committee representing Palestinian factions in east Jerusalem – and a leader during the first intifada – also delivered a stark warning.

“This will harm America because they present themselves as fair broker between Israelis and Palestinians,” he said. “This will only encourage extremism. It will encourage Isis. Over one billion Muslims are asking why he is taking this step.”

Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, has been talking to Middle East leaders over the past 10 months, with the aim of putting together a new peace plan early next year. Kushner is known to be close to the Saudi crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, who has also sought to break with precedent and tradition in his country’s foreign policy.

It remains unclear how far Prince Salman is ready to go to break with traditional Saudi policy of support for Palestinian aspirations of an independent state with a capital in East Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem decision divided the Trump administration, with Vice-President Mike Pence and the US ambassador to Israel arguing for the move, and the secretaries of defence and state, James Mattis and Rex Tillerson fighting a rearguard action against it because of its potential disruptive impact. Trump is reported to have decided to go ahead to fulfil an election campaign promise and satisfy his core support among evangelical and conservative Christians.

At present, 86 countries have embassies in Tel Aviv, none in Jerusalem.

The Guardian 

 

Subscribe ASSENNA YouTube to get Radio Assenna shows on time:

aseye.asena@gmail.com

Review overview
31 COMMENTS
  • Tesfaldetabraha December 6, 2017

    So what it dosent mean it will hapeen he dosnt have power to do that idont know whay evry one is mad

  • k.tewolde December 6, 2017

    This is not something that need to be declared by politicians in high places rather by the people of faith who regard and use the landmark as their holy shrine.It is a place of solace,peace,it is a venue where people of different faiths come together to take a spiritual journey and connect with their maker,it should be used as moderator, peacemaker,a symbol of sanity and world stability. The outcome of mixing religion with politics,you don’t have to venture far from your backyard,hgdef uses it like a toothpick.

  • Hatati December 7, 2017

    Jerusalem will be there for the next millennia, neither Trump nor will the Jihadis snatch it away like a poor black African’s kidney – kulit.
    Where are the Arab Muslims and their trusted Abeeds hiding on the issue of the black African Muslims and Eritreans kidnapped and enslaved by the Arabs in Libya, Egypt and Sudan? Will they talk about the Arab’s slave market?
    Will the Arab Muslims go to the streets of Cairo, Tripoli, Aman, Riyadh, Beirut, Khartoum, Tunis, Algiers, Dubai, Lahore and Karachi? Will their slaves bark back to defend their Arab masters with out any shame? or, will they condemn the actual Arab slavery?

    • Sagla December 8, 2017

      Tekhlay
      Why are you sparing AssYass Aftsayqi who turned our beloved country to a hellhole and forced us to flee from our country to Arab land besides his blatant actions as leasing Asab to UAE and joining the unholy alliance of KSA against the poor people of Yemen.

  • amanuel December 7, 2017

    What an achievement after 11 months in office. This must be his second bigest achivement after destroying n.korea and um.
    I do not think trump has any good thing to do. He is old and should retire from everything.

  • Simon G December 7, 2017

    ሕጂ’ዮም ሃገራት ኣዕራብ: ኣብ ጎድኒ ፍሊስጠም ደው ክብሉ ዝነበሮም። ቤተ ሰብ ንጉሳውያን ናይ ስዑዲ: ንፍሊስጠም ሃስዮሞም። ትራምፕ ‘ኮ ዓቢ ህግደፍ ‘ዩ። ሕጊ ኣመሪካ ከልኪሉዎ ‘ምበር ንሂትለር ‘ኳ ምሓለፎ።
    ዝገርም ‘ዩ። ኣነ ክዓርቆም ‘የ ድማ ይብል?

    • Hatati December 7, 2017

      Jerusalem will be there for the next millennia, neither Trump nor will the Jihadis snatch it away like a poor black African’s kidney – kulit.
      Where are the Arab Muslims and their trusted Abeeds hiding on the issue of the black African Muslims and Eritreans kidnapped and enslaved by the Arabs in Libya, Egypt and Sudan? Will they talk about the Arab’s slave market?

      • Simon G December 7, 2017

        Hatati,
        That’s different subject but if you ask, that question should be directed to your cousin, isayas the biggest Tembienay!

      • Asmeret December 7, 2017

        Bellom bellom..zshawei…bellom..ngerom..God is not coming to save us, He is coming to judge..

      • Asmeret December 7, 2017

        Bellom bellom..zshawei…bellom..ngerom..God is not coming to save us, He is coming to judge..

  • brhan Haqi December 7, 2017

    At this junction of turmoil, incalculable sufferings and political complexity… in that part of the world, what in the world !!!!! America will benefit from Trumph’s decision.

  • Meretse December 7, 2017

    Blackout of light in the tunnel– if only there was light. When there is no light everybody will go to his corner. President Bush once said, Everybody wants to ignore: Philistines want to ignore today and tomorrow and want to live in yestetday. Israel’s want to ignore yesterday and today and want to live tomorrow. The kSA wants to forget yesterday remember the 15 hijackers ) and live today and tomorrow. You see longitude and latitude lines that never come close to each other excet at cross sections. They need to sit and solve their problem once and for all. The world is kind of tired preparing squaretables, roundtables, ovaltables at different seasons and different locations.

  • Zereay December 7, 2017

    Politicians are Criminals- They do not care about ordinary people, what they consider significant is their personal life. Imagine Christianity surfaced on to this Earth 2000 years ago, and Islam surfaced about 1400 years ago. Islam is a modified version of Christianity. We the people of the world have lived in peace before those Regions appeared into this Earth and there is no reason to go against each other from religious ground. All religion – Christian, Islam, Jewish, Buddha, all preach for Goodness of mankind. Pr. Donald Trump Looks to have deep rooted personality disorder including hate for Islam and Blacks. PM Benjamin Netanyahu also Looks so arrogant and unkind. We, the Ordinary people where ever might be must distance our selves from being used and over used by politicians, they are human like evils really!

  • Kalighe December 7, 2017

    The US president has failed to act against North Korea because it’s supported by China.
    The Palestinians have no one on their side to defend them. This is the sad reality of today’s world.
    But this is not the end of history of Jerusalem. Injustice is the enemy of peace. As an Eritrean who has suffered for decades from injustices I know very well that injustice will definitely lead to war and loss of life.
    I you want peace work for justice.

  • Tesfaldetabraha December 7, 2017

    Idont know whay every one see this as big issue he can say any thing he want it dosnt mean nothing

    • amanuel December 8, 2017

      I could have said a lot about injustice by israel or trump, but arabs are the mothers of all injustice in this world. Non of them condemned the sale of africans, the murder, extraction of organs from innocent africans by libyans

POST A COMMENT