MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump scheduled to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital; Arab allies warn of the consequences

Trump's expected announcement comes despite warnings that such a move would have grave implications for the peace process in the Middle East and stability

US President Donald Trump will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and direct the State Department to begin the lengthy process of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the city, according to senior Trump administration officials. The announcement, which is expected at 18:00 GMT on Wednesday, comes amid global condemnation of the move.

 The officials said in a briefing that Trump's expected announcement is “recognition of a reality”. Officials added that moving the embassy “will take years” and Trump will continue to sign six-month waiver until the process is complete.

The expected announcement comes despite warnings that such a move would have grave implications for the peace process in the Middle East and on regional stability.

Trump held phone calls with the leaders of Palestine, Jordan and Egypt on Tuesday to inform them of his intention to move the embassy.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had warned Trump against “the dangerous consequences such a decision would have to the peace process and to the peace, security and stability of the region and of the world,” Navil Abu Rudeina, Abbass' spokesman, said in a statement after Trump's call.

Jordan's King Abdullah II told Trump that such a decision would have “dangerous repercussions on the stability and security of the region”, according to a statement released by the palace.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in a statement, also cautioned Trump against “taking measures that would undermine the chances of peace in the Middle East”.

Earlier on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Israel if Trump went through with the embassy move, calling it a “red line for Muslims”.

Jerusalem's status is an extremely sensitive aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

US officials said that Trump “remains committed to achieving a lasting peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians and is optimistic that peace can be achieved”.

Al Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada said that one would have to have been “living on another planet for the last few decades to believe that the US was ever an honest broker”.

In a statement, Hamas called for Palestinians “to make Friday a day of rage against the occupation, rejecting moving the American embassy to Jerusalem and declaring it the capital of a Zionist entity”.

Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian politician in the West Bank, warned that the “Arabs and Muslims will not take this lying down”.

US Congress passed a law in 1995 that required the embassy be transferred to Jerusalem, but every president since then have repeatedly signed six-month waivers to override the implementation of law.

White House officials on Tuesday said Trump, who pledged during the 2016 presidential campaign to move the embassy, will continue to sign the waiver until the embassy is reading to be transferred to Jerusalem in order to avoid the financial consequences of not implementing the law.

From Brussels European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Tuesday, “A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states, so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled.”

The officials said in a briefing that Trump's expected announcement is “recognition of a reality”. Officials added that moving the embassy “will take years” and Trump will continue to sign six-month waiver until the process is complete.