Jerusalem: New warnings over US shift on
city status
French President Emmanuel Macron has told
Donald Trump he is "concerned" the US leader
could unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as Israel's
capital.
Any decision on the contested city's status must be
"within the framework of negotiations between
Israelis and Palestinians", Mr Macron said.
Earlier, similar warnings came from a number of
Arab and Muslim nations.
Reports say the US president will recognise
Jerusalem as Israel's capital this week.
Both Israelis and Palestinians claim the city as their
capital.
The White House said Mr Trump would miss
Monday's deadline to sign a waiver delaying the
relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to
Jerusalem.
But White House spokesman Hogan Gidley stressed
that "the president has been clear on this issue
from the get-go: It's not a matter of if, it's a matter
of when".
Every president, including Mr Trump, has signed the
waiver every six months since US Congress passed
an act in 1995 calling for the embassy to be
moved.
What's so contentious about the move?
The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of
Israel's conflict with the Palestinians, who are
backed by the rest of the Arab and wider Islamic
world.
The city is home to key religious sites sacred to
Judaism, Islam and Christianity, especially in East
Jerusalem.
Israel occupied the area in the 1967 Middle East
war and regards the entire city as its indivisible
capital.
The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the
capital of a future state, and according to 1993
Israel-Palestinian peace accords, its final status is
meant to be discussed in the latter stages of peace
talks.
Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem has never been
recognised internationally, and all countries,
including Israel's closest ally the US, maintain their
embassies in Tel Aviv.
The alternatives to a two-state solution
Why settlement issue is so difficult
Since 1967, Israel has built a dozen settlements,
home to about 200,000 Jews, in East Jerusalem.
These are considered illegal under international law,
though Israel disputes this.
If the US recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital, it
will put it out-of-step with the rest of the
international community and reinforce Israel's
position that settlements in the east are valid Israeli
communities.
What has been the international reaction?
On Monday, Saudi Arabia said such a move before
a final settlement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
would "have a detrimental impact on the peace
process".
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has urged
world leaders to intervene, saying "such a US
decision would destroy the peace process".
Jordan has warned of "grave consequences", while
Arab League chief Abul Gheit has said such a move
would "nourish fanaticism and violence".
Turkish Deputy PM Bekir Bozdag has said this
would be a "major catastrophe".
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