Palestinians: Trump Told Abbas He Plans to Move the US Embassy to Jerusalem

Senior Palestinian officials reported that the President of the United States informed Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, during a phone call on Tuesday, December 5, that the US has decided to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (Al-Quds). According to reports, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority, stated that Mahmoud Abbas warned Donald Trump about the 'severe consequences' of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, emphasizing that this action would jeopardize the peace process, security, and stability in the region and the world. Nabil Abu Rudeineh also mentioned that King Abdullah II of Jordan expressed his despair over Trump's statements and conveyed his serious concerns about the consequences of this decision. Shortly before, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House spokesperson in Washington, stated that President Trump had separate phone calls with the Palestinian Authority leader, the King of Jordan, and the Prime Minister of Israel on Tuesday. Ms. Sanders added that further details regarding the issues discussed in Trump's phone conversations with regional leaders would be made known later, and he would be having phone discussions with leaders from several other countries regarding the decision he will announce on Wednesday concerning Jerusalem. However, based on Nabil Abu Rudeineh's statements, it seems that despite the intense anger of the Palestinians and the deep concerns and multiple warnings from Arab leaders and the international community, Mr. Trump intends to not only recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Wednesday but also to take a further step by announcing the beginning of the process of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. If the spokesperson's statements are confirmed, this could represent a significant and unprecedented shift in US strategy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Middle Eastern affairs; media outlets supporting Mr. Trump in the US have also assessed that this could lead to tensions in the region. Neither Republican nor Democratic administrations in the US or any country in the world has ever recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and the embassies of countries that have relations with Israel are all located in Tel Aviv. Donald Trump had stated during his election campaign that he would sign the order to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem 'on his first day in office'; however, six months ago, he extended the directive delaying the implementation of the 1995 Congressional resolution regarding the embassy's relocation to Jerusalem. Israel has controlled West Jerusalem since its establishment 69 years ago and gained control over East Jerusalem during the 1967 war, which had been under Jordanian control until then, declaring 'unified Jerusalem' as its 'eternal capital'; in 1980, Israel officially annexed East Jerusalem. Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed all his government ministers not to make any media comments on this matter until an official statement is issued by Donald Trump on Wednesday. However, in recent days, while Palestinian leaders warned that such a change in US policy would be a 'major blow to the peace efforts of the Trump administration,' many politicians in Israel expressed their satisfaction with this development. Meanwhile, the change in US policy may also lead to renewed crises in Israel's relations with Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Tuesday that Jerusalem is a 'red line' for Muslims, and the change in US policy is a 'great blow to human conscience,' and Turkey may sever its relations with Israel. The Arab League also emphasized during its emergency meeting in Cairo on Tuesday that 'any recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the occupying state would be an irreparable blow to the Arab nation and the rights of the Palestinian people, a serious violation of international law, a dangerous threat to the peace process, stability, and security in the region, the loss of peace prospects and the two-state solution, and would exacerbate extremism and violence.' Previously, Jordan and Egypt, two countries that have had full political relations with Israel for decades, described Trump's potential decision regarding the status change of Jerusalem as 'consequential' and likely to provoke violence from 'terrorist groups.' European powers allied with the US and Israel, such as Germany and France, have also warned the US in the past two days. Concerns about escalating tensions in Israeli-Palestinian relations following the US policy change regarding Jerusalem, which was reflected in Benjamin Netanyahu's statements in his parliament on Monday, come at a time when a fragile calm had recently prevailed in relations between the parties after two years of crisis and bloody stabbings and severe reactions from Israeli security forces. However, according to Netanyahu, Israeli security forces are prepared for 'necessary action.'