Jerusalem - live updates: Clashes in Jerusalem, Gaza and West Bank as global outrage at Trump decision mounts
Despite warnings from Arab, Muslim and Western allies, President upends decades of US policy
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A defiant Donald Trump abruptly broke decades of US foreign policy on Wednesday after officially recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in a move that sparked protests across the region and led to condemnation from around the globe.
The President also instructed his State Department to begin the three-year process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city, calling the twin move "a step to advance the peace process" between Israel and the Palestinians.
While Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu praised Mr Trump's announcement as an "historic landmark", Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that with the move, the US was making a "declaration of withdrawal" from its mediation role during the peace process.
Please allow the blog a moment to load.
The leader of Hamas has now called for a new uprising against Israel in light of Mr Trump's decision.
"We should call for and we should work on launching an intifada in the face of the Zionist enemy," Ismail Haniyeh said in a speech from Gaza on Thursday. There have been clashes between police in occupied Gaza, the West Bank and parts of Jerusalem.
Mr Trump acted under a 1995 law that requires the United States to move its embassy to Jerusalem. His predecessors, Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama, had consistently put off that decision to avoid inflaming tensions in the Middle East.
A Palestinian envoy said Mr Trump's decision was a declaration of war in the Middle East while Pope Francis called for Jerusalem's status quo to be respected, saying new tension would further inflame world conflicts.
China and Russia expressed concern that the plans could aggravate Middle East hostilities. The United States has never endorsed the Israel's claim of sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem and has insisted its status be resolved through Israeli-Palestinian negotiation.
Any US declaration on Jerusalem's status ahead of a peace deal "would harm peace negotiation process and escalate tension in the region," Saudi Arabia's King Salman told Mr Trump, according to a Saudi readout of their telephone conversation.
Declaring Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the King said, "would constitute a flagrant provocation to all Muslims, all over the world."
In his calls to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah II, Mr Trump delivered what appeared to be identical messages of intent.
Both leaders warned him moving the embassy would threaten peace efforts and security and stability in the Middle East and the world, according to statements from their offices.
Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, the head of the Arab League, urged the US to reconsider any recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, warning of "repercussions."
Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told his Parliament such recognition was a "red line" for Muslims and said Turkey could respond by cutting diplomatic ties with Israel.
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, said he reminded Mr Trump in a phone call that Jerusalem should be determined through negotiations on setting up an independent Palestine alongside Israel.
Meeting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said actions undermining peace efforts "must be absolutely avoided."
Additional reporting by agencies
Clashes between protesters and Israeli soldiers have broken out today in the West Bank and Gaza strip following Donald Trump announced the US will recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Here, a Palestinian protester takes cover during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah.
An Israeli city plans to name a park after Donald Trump in honour of his decision to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel and move the embassy there.
David Even Zur, the mayor of the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Yam, called Mr Trump's move "historic." He says it was "a brave, unprecedented step which none of his predecessors were prepared to do."
"Donald Trump proved to the entire world that Jerusalem is in his heart and we will prove to him in this way that he is in our hearts," Mr Even Zur said in a statement.
The park, which will include a children's playground and will be located in the city center, is set to be inaugurated next year.
Palestinian officials say dozens of protesters have been lightly wounded in a number of demonstrations in the occupied West Bank.
Clashes broke out between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters following Mr Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
The Palestinian Red Crescent says dozens of people have been wounded, mostly from tear gas inhalation. It says six people were wounded by rubber bullets and one person from live fire. The Israeli military denies that live fire was used.
The Palestinian Health Ministry says the injuries are all minor.
The Palestinian president has said he is rallying international opposition to Mr Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which he called an "unacceptable crime."
At a meeting with Jordan's king, President Mahmoud Abbas said that he rejects Mr Trump's decision and believes America has hurt its credibility in the region.
Mr Abbas said the Palestinians have been rallying Arab support as they formulate a response. He says he has been communicating with other world leaders.
"Fortunately, there was a positive response from all the countries in the world, from Europe and from Africa and countries close to America that don't support the US," he said. "These all are messages to Trump that what he did is an unacceptable crime."
Islamist militant group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has condemned the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and called on militants to close ranks to support Palestinians.
In the statement carried by the U.S. SITE monitoring group, the Yemen-based AQAP said Trump's decision was the result of what it said were "normalisation steps" between some Gulf Arab countries and Israel.
"It is also a clear challenge to the Muslim world that sees the centrality of the Palestinian cause," the group said. "In the face of this serious events, we stand by our people in Palestine and support them with all we possess."
Addressing the group called on militants to close ranks to be ready to support Palestinians and urged Muslims to help with money and weapons.
"If you do not move, God forbid, then tomorrow the holiest of places and the Muslims' Qiblah, Mecca, will be sold and you will find then no one to defend it," it said.
Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu has said: "God is weeping over President Donald Trump's inflammatory and discriminatory recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."
The 86-year-old former archbishop, a veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, rarely makes public statements because of health problems.
His new statement said that "it is our responsibility to tell Mr. Trump that he is wrong."
"God does not discriminate" between people of various religions and that "those who claim divine rights for themselves to physical property on earth are false prophets."
Chancellor Angela Merkel has said her nation will stand by UN resolutions on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
"We're sticking to the relevant UN resolutions - they make clear that the status of Jerusalem needs to be negotiated as part of negotiations on a two-state solution for Israel and that's why we want this process to be revived," she said.
Here is the latest on the EU reaction to Mr Trump's decision on Jerusalem.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments