Benjamin Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video message that Trump’s decision had made for a “historic day” and was “an important step towards peace”.
He added that any peace deal with the Palestinians would have to include Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and he urged other countries to follow the US lead by also moving their embassies to the city.
He said there would be no change to access to Jerusalem’s holy sites, saying: “Israel will always ensure freedom of worship for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.”
Posting on Twitter, he said: “This is a historic day. Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for nearly 70 years. Jerusalem has been the focus of our hopes, our dreams, our prayers for three millennia.
Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years. Thank you, @realDonaldTrump!”
The status of Jerusalem – home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions – is one of the thorniest obstacles to reaching a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
The international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, believing its status should be resolved in negotiations.
But today Donald Trump abruptly reversed decades of US policy in a shock move that has been widely condemned by the global community.
“I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” Trump said. “While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.”
Speaking at the White House today, the US President said his announcement was nothing more than a “recognition of reality and the right thing to do, something that has to be done”.
He announced that the United States will recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel after days of speculation.
And he directed the State Department to begin looking for a site for an embassy in Jerusalem, in a move from their existing site in Tel Aviv – a process which is expected to take years, although Trump has signed a six-month delay to the move.
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He also said he would remain deeply committed to helping facilitate a peace agreement acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians depsite his announcement, adding “the United States would support a two state solution if agreed to by both sides”.
But his announcement has been met with global condemnation, with the Tunisian Labour union UGTT declaring Trump’s speech as tantamount to a “declaration of war” as they called for mass protests across the middle east.
The Tunisian Labour union UGTT declaring Trump’s speech as tantamount to a “declaration of war” as they called for mass protests across the middle east.
While a Hamas official called on Arab and Islamic states to “cut off economic and political ties with the US embassy and expel American ambassadors to cripple” the move.