Foreign Officials Say Trump’s Plan for Jerusalem Is at Odds with Peace Efforts
Mr. Macron said the question of Jerusalem “should be resolved in the framework of peace negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians,” his office said.
.. Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., said in an interview with Politico published Monday that declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel would “lay a cornerstone for peace because what it says is that under any peace agreement in the future, Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel.”
.. Jerusalem was divided in 1948 when Israel was founded, with Israel controlling the western parts of the city and Jordan controlling the eastern parts, including the Old City and its sacred sites for Muslims, Jews and Christians. Israel seized control of East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War and eventually annexed the occupied parts of the city—something most of the international community refuses to recognize.
.. Mr. Trump got unusually involved in a National Security Council meeting last week about Jerusalem, where U.S. officials said he was frustrated and urged aides to find a way to make good on his campaign promise to move the embassy.
.. By making an announcement about Jerusalem without moving the U.S. Embassy right away, the Trump administration may be looking for a way for the president to demonstrate his commitment without sabotaging peace talks.
.. The administration also could be gambling that any protests will be short-lived and that the Palestinians would find they have no choice but to eventually return to negotiations.
.. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, a global group currently led by Saudi Arabia, warned that the U.S. would “lose the legal and moral high ground and its mediating role” if it made the expected announcement about Jerusalem.