Qatar has called for the need to stand firm in the face of the futile attempts to undermine the city of Jerusalem and impair its historic and religious status after reports said the US intends to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Qatar reiterated its steadfast position in support of the Palestinian cause and the support of the brotherly Palestinian people who seek to regain their rights. This position is based on the Arab stance that calls for a two-state solution, ensuring the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States Saif bin Muqaddam al-Buainain said in Cairo.
He said that the United States’ relations with the Arab and Islamic nation are seriously challenged by the US administration’s intention to announce the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the transfer of its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
President Donald Trump told Arab leaders yesterday that he intends to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a decision that breaks with decades of US policy and risks fuelling further unrest in the Middle East.
Senior US officials have said Trump is likely to recognise today Jerusalem as Israel’s capital while delaying relocating the embassy from Tel Aviv for another six months, though he is expected to order his aides to begin planning such a move immediately.
The international community does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan’s King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman received phone calls from Trump.  To Page 3
They all received phone calls from Trump, joined a mounting chorus of voices warning that unilateral US steps on Jerusalem would derail a fledgling US-led peace effort and unleash turmoil in the region.
At the same time, a senior Israeli minister appeared to welcome Trump’s decision on Jerusalem while vowing that Israel was preparing for any outbreak of violence.
Trump notified Abbas “of his intention to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said.
The Jordanian monarch, whose dynasty is the custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, told Trump that moving the embassy there would have “dangerous repercussions” for the region and would obstruct US efforts to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Jordan plans to convene an emergency meeting of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation on Trump’s new Jerusalem policy, said Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi.
Egypt’s Sisi cautioned Trump against “taking measures that would undermine the chances of peace” and complicate matters in the Middle East, a presidential statement released in Cairo said.
King Salman stressed to Trump that any US announcement on the status of Jerusalem “will hurt peace talks and increase tension in the region” and said it would “inflame Muslim feelings all over the world,” the Saudi Press Agency said.
Turkey threatened  to cut diplomatic ties with Israel if Trump recognises Jerusalem. Page 10

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