Netanyahu was an 'active participant' in influencing Trump's Jerusalem move

Netanyahu’s team has been 'encouraging, supporting, and reassuring' the Trump team over the likely consequences of the move, Israeli TV station Hadashot TV said in a report on Tuesday evening.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

06 December, 2017

Netanyahu has been a participant in lobbying Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital [Getty]

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his allies have been “active participants” in influencing US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the country’s capital, an Israeli TV report said.

Netanyahu and his aides have been working in “total coordination” as “active partners” with Trump and his administration in the build-up to the his anticipated speech on Wednesday which will recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Israeli TV station Hadashot TV said in a report on Tuesday evening, according to Times of Israel.

The speech will announce the intention to relocate the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Trump phoned Netanyahu on Tuesday, updating him on the speech due to to take place on Wednesday afternoon. This phone call was among their many recent conversations regarding the controversial move, according to Hadashot.

Netanyahu’s team has been “encouraging, supporting, [and] reassuring” the Trump team over the likely consequences of the move, the TV report said.

The report claimed the Palestinian government would be taken by surprise over the move “and this total coordination came while the Palestinians knew nothing about this move” until very recently.

The US has ordered government employees to avoid Jerusalem's Old City and the West Bank amid Palestinian calls for protests over Trump's decision.

US embassies around the world have been warned to step up security measures in preparation for Trump's announcement, which will come at 1pm in Washington.

The move has been widely condemned in the Arab world and internationally.

A Jordanian palace statement quoted King Abdullah as telling the US president that such a decision would have "dangerous repercussions on the stability and security in the region" and would obstruct US efforts to resume Arab-Israeli peace talks.

The Turkish government said on Wednesday that the move risks igniting a "fire" in the Middle East and will prove a "great disaster."

The recognition will "throw the region and the world into a fire and it's not known when it will end," Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Bekir Bozdag wrote on Twitter, saying the move was a "great disaster" that would lead the way to "turmoil, chaos and clashes."

Israel regards Jerusalem as its capital, a position nearly the entire world rejects saying its status should be determined in peace talks with the Palestinians.

East Jerusalem, which includes the Old City, is considered occupied Palestinian territory under international law.