Donald Trump鈥檚 announcement that his adminstration would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital will end decades of US policy that such recognition could come only after the status of the city is settled in negotiations.
Last month, US lawmakers to promote recognising Jerusalem and moving the embassy that only heard from members of the Israel lobby, and completely excluded Palestinians.
Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its 鈥渦nited and eternal鈥 capital. The western part of the city was of its Palestinian residents by Zionist militias as Israel was established in 1948.
While a number of countries of what came to be known as West Jerusalem, none has recognised any part of the city as Israel鈥檚 capital.
The United Nations and world governments consider East Jerusalem, which Israel invaded in 1967, to be part of the occupied Palstinian territory of the West Bank. The UN Security Council has ruled Israel鈥檚 annexation of East Jerusalem to be 鈥.鈥
On the ground in East Jerusalem, Palestinians face incremental ethnic cleansing by Israel to for Jewish settlers. Israel implements to make the lives of Palestinians in the city impossible, including building restrictions, and , and the .
Since the occupation began in 1967, to the Israeli human rights group B鈥橳selem, Israel has treated Palestinians indigenous to the city 鈥渁s unwanted immigrants and worked systematically to drive them out of the area.鈥
Trump鈥檚 shift has already been by the 57 member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and US allies, , have warned that the announcement would sabotage the already dim prospects of achieving a two-state solution.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has the American move would cross a 鈥渞ed line鈥 and threatened that his country 鈥渃ould go as far as cutting diplomatic ties with Israel over the issue.鈥
Years of unconditional US support for Israel, coupled with international inaction, have set the stage for Trump鈥檚 moves on Jerusalem. Palestinians in Jerusalem have shown a tremendous capacity to resist, such as the weeks of nonviolent civil disobedience last summer that from measures aimed at tightening its grip on the compound.
However, Trump鈥檚 move will embolden the so-called .
With significant , this extremist Jewish movement aims to and replace them with a Jewish temple 鈥 potentially triggering religious conflict on an unimaginable scale.
Reposted from The . Ali Abunimah is a founder of The Electronic Intifada. In the video below, he speaks to about Trump's announcement.