Next year in Jerusalem

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday will announce his decision to recognize Jerusalem the capital of Israel. It is reported by Reuters with reference to high -ranking American officials.

This decision does not mean a change in US policy regarding borders, the agency’s interlocutors noted. Washington is ready, if the consent of the two parties of the conflict, to support its settlement based on the creation of two independent states.

The US Embassy will also be transferred to Jerusalem. However, this process will take three or four years. The United States does not yet have a suitable building in Jerusalem, housing issues for diplomats and their security have not been resolved.

On Tuesday, Trump discussed by telephone the upcoming decision with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President of the Palestinian Autonomy Mahmud Abbas, the king of Jordan Abdullah, the Saudi king Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah As-Sisi. In them, the president confirmed his commitment to promoting peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

Trump's decision caused a sharp reaction in the Arab countries. As-Sisi said that there should not be measures that "will deprive the establishment of peace in the Middle East." He confirmed the position of Egypt that it should "maintain the legal status of Jerusalem in the framework of international recognition and the relevant UN resolutions."

The United States strengthened security measures in its embassies in the Middle East. On Tuesday, the US Consulate in Jerusalem instructed its employees to stay away from the occupied West Coast and some areas of Jerusalem.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 war and considers the city an inseparable part of its territories. Palestinians consider East Jerusalem the capital of their future state. According to the civil agreement of 1993, the final status of the city was to be discussed at the next stages of peace negotiations. Israel's right to Jerusalem was not recognized as an international community. All countries have set their representative offices in Tel Aviv.

In the United States in 1995, a law was adopted providing for the transfer of the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. However, it provides for a delay in the execution of this provision for six months, the decision of which the US president must decide. All Trump's predecessors still used this opportunity and every six months issued a decree pushing the term for the embassy.

During the election campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to recognize Jerusalem the capital of Israel. He stated that he was ready to maintain close relations with the Jewish state, "destroyed" during the presidency of Barack Obama.