Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital: officials

U.S. President Donald Trump islikely to deliver a speech on Wednesday recognizing Jerusalem asIsrael's capital, a senior U.S. official said on Friday, a movethat could upend decades of American policy and further inflametensions in the Middle East.

Two administration officials said on Thursday that even asTrump was considering the controversial declaration, he wasexpected to again delay his campaign promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.The senior official and two other government sources saidfinal decisions had not yet been made.

The international community does not recognizeIsrael's claim on all of the city, home to sites holy to theJewish, Muslim and Christian religions.

A U.S. stance deviating from that of previous presidents,who have insisted that the matter must be decided in peacenegotiations, would anger Palestinians, who want the city'seastern sector as the capital of their future state, and thebroader Arab world.

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It could seriously undermine the U.S. administration'sfledgling effort, led by Trump son-in-law and senior adviserJared Kushner, to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peacetalks.

Nabil Abu Rdainah, spokesman for Palestinian PresidentMahmoud Abbas, said U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel'scapital would "destroy the peace process" and "destabilize theregion."

Such a move, however, could help satisfy the pro-Israel,right-wing base that helped Trump win the presidency and alsoplease the Israeli government, a close U.S. ally.

The senior official said on condition of anonymity that thedecision was not final and could still change.

Another U.S. official said Trump appeared to be headingtoward recognizing Israel's claim to Jerusalem but that it was not a done deal.

"We've nothing to announce," said a spokesperson with theWhite House National Security Council.

After months of intense White House deliberations, Trump isseeking to strike a balance between domestic political demandsand geopolitical pressures over the status of Jerusalem, one ofthe most sensitive core issues of the Israeli-Palestinianconflict.

Trump is likely to continue his predecessors' policy ofsigning a six-month waiver overriding a 1995 law requiring thatthe U.S. Embassy be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, theofficials said on Thursday.

But among the options under consideration is for Trump toorder his aides to develop a longer-term plan for the embassy'srelocation to make clear his intent to do so eventually, theofficials said.

Final plans unclear

It was unclear, however, whether any public recognition byTrump of Israel's claim on Jerusalem would be formally enshrinedin a presidential action or be more of a symbolic statement.

Trump pledged on the presidential campaign trail last yearthat he would move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

But in June, Trump waived the requirement, saying he wantedto "maximize the chances" for a new U.S.-led push for what hehas called the "ultimate deal" of Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Those efforts have made little, if any, progress so far and manyexperts are skeptical of the prospects for success.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the major stumbling blocksin achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day Warand later annexed it, a move not recognizedinternationally.

Arab governments and Western allies have long urged Trumpnot to proceed with the embassy relocation, which would reverselong-standing U.S. policy by granting de facto U.S. recognitionof Israel'sclaim to all of Jerusalem as its capital.

Visiting Washington this week, Jordan's King Abdullah warnedlawmakers that moving the U.S. embassy could be "exploited byterrorists to stoke anger, frustration and desperation,"according to the Jordanian state news agency Petra.

Some of Trump's top aides have privately pushed for him tokeep his campaign promise to satisfy a range of supporters,including evangelical Christians, while others have cautionedabout the potential damage to U.S. relations with Muslimcountries.