America’s friends and foes unleashed fierce criticism on Wednesday ahead of President Donald Trump’s announcement recognizing Beit-ul-Moqaddas (Jerusalem) as Israel’s capital.
While Israel welcomed the news, Palestinian officials declared the Mideast peace process “finished” and Turkey announced it would host a meeting of Islamic nations next week to give Muslim countries’ leaders an opportunity to coordinate a response. The Arab League scheduled an emergency meeting on Saturday, AP reported.
The harsh global reaction cast questions about the feasibility of a brewing US peace plan that is expected to be presented by the White House in the near future.
The Palestinians seek east Beit-ul-Moqaddas 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.”
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.”
Russia, a key Mideast player, expressed its concern about a “possible deterioration.”
Two leading Lebanese newspapers published front-page rebukes of Trump.
Britain’s foreign minister, Boris Johnson, who had already expressed concern about the US decision, on Wednesday said it was now time for the Americans to present their peace plan for the region.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also cautioned Trump against “taking measures that would undermine the chances of peace in the Middle East”.
Following a separate phone conversation with Trump, Saudi King Salman also told the US president “that any American announcement regarding the situation of Jerusalem prior to reaching a permanent settlement will harm peace talks and increase tensions in the area”.
On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Israel, adding that “Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims. We implore the US once again: You cannot take this step.”
Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s foreign minister, also warned that any US move to Beit-ul-Moqaddas “as the capital of Israel does not calm a conflict, rather it fuels it even more,” and that such a move “would be a very dangerous development.”
