President Donald Trump outlined his intentions to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem in a call with President Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday according to Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh.
The Palestinians said that Abbas warned Trump in the call against the dangers of such a step and added that he would continue reaching out to world leaders to prevent it from happening. Neither the White House nor the Palestinians offered details on the timing of an embassy move, which previous administrations have delayed indefinitely.
Despite strong pushback from US allies and concerns about the safety of US military and diplomatic personnel in the region, Trump is insisting that he fulfill campaign promises about Jerusalem.
Previous US presidents have pledged to move the embassy from Tel Aviv, in accordance with US law, but have used waivers to delay the shift in recognition of the thorny problems such a move would create.
Key US allies have raised those potential pitfalls with the White House in response to reports that the administration is planning to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital or move the US embassy to the holy city at some point. Turkey’s leader declared Tuesday that such a move would be a “fatal mistake” that would spark fresh conflict in the Middle East.
