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Trump's Jerusalem move: 'A blunder with consequences' NEWS / MAHMOUD ABBAS  READ MORE Trump's Jerusalem move: All the latest updates READ MORE OIC declares East Jerusalem as Palestinian capital READ MORE Why Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel OPINION Trump Jerusalem move hinders US interests in the region by Khalid Al-Jaber,Giorgio Cafiero Jerusalem Mahmoud Abbas Donald Trump United States Middle East Tens of thousands have protested against the US d
ecision in different countries [Majdi Mohammed/AP Photo] Washington, DC - President Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem is a blunder driven by domestic US polices, but with international strategic consequences, Middle East analysts and former US diplomats say. The US president, shortly after coming into office nearly a year ago, had raised some hopes of a renewed Middle East peace process by holding a series of meetings with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Washington, Bethlehem and New York. But last week, Trump announced that the US is formally recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital and will begin the process of moving the US embassy to the city from Tel Aviv, raising doubts from the Palestinians, as well as Middle East analysts about the US' role as a broker of a potential peace deal. "It has injected anxiety, pressure, anger, resentment all over because not only is this a legal or political matter, this is the politics of identity," Husam S Zomlot, head of the PLO General Delegation to the US, said in a call with reporters in Washington on Monday. Advertisement "This has touched on a nerve," Zomlot added. Any US peace plan sidelined Trump's ability to introduce a comprehensive peace plan, if not foreclosed, is likely sidelined for the foreseeable future, experts and diplomats say. The key question, analysts say, is how Palestinian leaders will react. Early indications are that they will press their case with the international community. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, speaking at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit on Wednesday, said the US had "disqualified" itself from any future peace talks. "We shall not accept any role for the United States in the peace process, they have proven their full bias in favour of Israel," Abbas said. Yousef al-Othaimeen, OIC secretary-general, said the group "rejects and condemns the American decision". Aaron David Miller, a former US negotiator and now a Middle East expert at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC, said that "this is about as a grim a situation from the Palestinian perspective as I have seen in a long time in terms of what their options are". Even though Trump, in his statement, did not rule out a future resolution of Jerusalem's status, the problem is that Israel asserts sovereignty over both East and West Jerusalem and continues to create realities on the ground intended to deny the Palestinians a capital,

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Why are British Muslim marriages unprotected by law? FEATURE / ISLAM  MUSLIM MARRIAGE IN THE UK 60 percent Muslim marriages religious-only, unregistered 28 percent do not realise Islamic ceremony not legally recognised 66 percent know union has no legal status 50 percent do not intend to have marriage legalised - Source: Channel 4 survey Aina Khan Aina Khan is a journalist focusing on race, faith and identity. She's reading a masters in religion in politics at SOAS.  @ ainajkhan United Kingdom Islam Europe, Maureen, right, was not entitled to financial support after her husband Rashid - the father of her child - passed away [Courtesy: Maureen] London, England - When Maureen wed her husband Rashid in a Muslim ceremony in 1973 in Bradford, she knew that should the relationship fall apart, she would not be entitled to share his assets. Her marriage was sanctified in the eyes of God, but in the eyes of the state it was "unregistered", not legal, and so financial protection...
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'Europe has to reform': How the far right grew in 2017 NEWS / POLITICS  The Far Right Politics European Union Europe 2017 Events SIGN UP Demonstrators carry signs reading 'Nazis get out' during a protest in Vienna, Austria, where the far right has now entered government [File: Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images] The rise of the far right was a defining feature of European politics in 2017. In December, the trend peaked with Austria becoming the only European country to bring the far right into government. Several parties have exploited discussions about immigration , Islam and the role of the European Union , considering them a threat to security, to win support, from France to Poland. We have a new government and #Austria 's police as well as its army will be under the control of Austria's far right party FPÖ. Including all secret services. And on top the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. - Am not sure if the rest of the world has already noticed this. 7:25 PM - Dec ...
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Jerusalem as capital: All the latest NEWS / ISRAELI–PALESTINIAN CONFLICT  CASUALTIES 10 people killed 2,908 injuries: PRCS 400 arrests: PPS Besides words, what can be done? Protests from Jakarta to Rabat Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital Jerusalem Israeli–Palestinian conflict Palestine Middle East, The decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has generated a series of reactions in Palestine and around the world. Here are the latest developments, both on the diplomatic and street front, as of Friday, December 22: Latest developments Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Washington to reverse its move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in line with the UN General Assembly's vote to reject Trump's decision. "The U.S. should turn back from this wrong step," he said, at a meeting of his AK Party in Istanbul on Friday. Erdogan criticised the US president for making "ugly and unfo...
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