of violenceBy Lalit K JhaWashington, Dec 7 (PTI) President Donald Trump hasrecognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, overturning decadesof US and international policy on the disputed holy city, ahugely controversial decision which many Arab leaders warnedcould trigger an upheaval in the already volatile Middle East.
Trump said he had "judged this course of action to be inthe best interests of the United States of America, and thepursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians".
In his nationally televised address, Trump said he has"determined" that it is time to officially recognise Jerusalemas the capital of Israel and was directing the StateDepartment to begin preparations to move the US embassy fromTel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The move, which was promised by Trump during his 2016campaign and appeals to his right-wing base, could lead tomassive protests in the Middle East and elsewhere, Arableaders have warned.
He said the US still wanted to see a peace agreement andwould not take a position on "the specific boundaries of theIsraeli sovereignty in Jerusalem or the resolution ofcontested borders".
"The US remains deeply committed to helping facilitate apeace agreement that is acceptable to both sides. I intend todo everything in my power to help forge such an agreement.
"There will of course be disagreement and dissentregarding this announcement, but we are confident thatultimately, as we work through these disagreements, we willarrive at a place of greater understanding and cooperation,"he said in an apparent reference to the tough road ahead.
Trump said that his predecessors have not been able totake a decision in this regard despite a decision by Congressmore than two decades ago.
"In 1995, Congress adopted the Jerusalem Embassy Act,urging the federal government to relocate the American embassyto Jerusalem and to recognise that city as Israel's capital.
"This Act passed Congress by an overwhelming bipartisanmajority, and was reaffirmed by a unanimous vote of the Senateonly six months ago," Trump said.
He said that Jerusalem is not just the heart of threegreat religions, but it is now also the heart of one of themost successful democracies in the world.
Recognising the status of Jerusalem as a highly-sensitiveissue, he said he does not think the peace process is aided byignoring the simple truth that Jerusalem is home to Israel'slegislature, the Supreme Court, President and Prime Minister.
Trump recognised that the specific boundaries of Israelisovereignty in Jerusalem are subject to final statusnegotiations between the parties and reaffirmed the US'support for the status quo at the Temple Mount, also known asHaram al-Sharif.
Trump said he is optimistic that peace can be achieved asdelaying the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israelhas not helped achieve peace over the past two decades.
Trump also said that he is prepared to support a two-state solution to the dispute between the Israelis andPalestinians, if agreed to by the parties.
"For over 20 years, every previous American president hasexercised the law's waiver, refusing to move the US embassy toJerusalem, or to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital city.
"Presidents issued these waivers under the belief thatdelaying the recognition of Jerusalem would advance the causeof peace. Some say they lacked courage, but they made theirbest judgements based on facts as they understood them at thetime. Nevertheless, the record is in," he said.
"After more than two decades of waivers, we are no closerto a lasting peace agreement between Israel and thePalestinians," Trump said.
It would be folly to assume that repeating the exact sameformula would now produce a different or better result, thePresident said.
"Therefore, I have determined that it is time toofficially recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Whileprevious presidents have made this a major campaign promise,they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.
"This is a long overdue step to advance the peace processand to work towards a lasting agreement. Israel is a sovereignnation with the right, like every other sovereign nation, todetermine its own capital. Acknowledging this as a fact is anecessary condition for achieving peace," Trump said.
He said that this decision is not intended, in any way,to reflect a departure from America's strong commitment tofacilitate a lasting peace agreement.
Earlier, the Trump administration officials claimed thatthe decision enjoys broad bipartisan support in the Congress.
With the announcement, Trump has ignored dire warningsfrom Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Egyptian President AbdelFattah al-Sisi, America's closest allies in the Middle East.
Jordan's King Abdullah II had said Jerusalem is the keyto stability of the entire Middle East.
The international community considers east Jerusalemillegally occupied by Israel and most countries have theirembassies in Tel Aviv. PTI LKJ CPS AKJCPS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.