Washington/Tel Aviv (dpa) - US President Donald Trump‘s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has triggered an outpouring of criticism from European and Arab leaders amid fears it could spark further violence in the region.Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas said Trump‘s Wednesday announcement, which overturns decades of US policy and will see the US embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, was "reprehensible."It would undermine peace efforts and encourage Israel "to pursue the policy of occupation, settlement, apartheid and ethnic cleansing," Abbas said, adding that the United States had "withdrawn" from its role in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.Eight members of the UN Security Council, including Britain and France, Egypt, Italy and Sweden called for an emergency meeting, now due to take place on Friday, on the US move. Both Israelis and Palestinians regard the holy city as their capital and the US, along with the rest of the world, has kept its embassy in Tel Aviv in an effort to remain neutral in peace negotiations between the two sides.But Trump said the move was a "recognition of reality.""Today we finally acknowledge the obvious - that Jerusalem is Israel‘s capital," he said in Washington, adding that he still supported a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Condemnation of the US policy change had already begun pouring in before Trump‘s much-anticipated speech, and continued afterwards including from regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as Egypt, Turkey, Germany, France, Italy, the European Union, the Vatican and others.Saudi Arabia called the decision "a drastic regression in the efforts to move the peace process forward," while Jordan, home to a large Palestinian population, said it violated the UN Charter and international resolutions.German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the move risked "pouring oil into the fire," while British Prime Minister Theresa May said it was "unhelpful" and Pope Francis called on all parties to respect the "status quo" in compliance with UN resolutions.Iran warned it could lead to "another intifada as well as more extremism and violence." But Israel welcomed what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said was a "historic day.""The simple truth and reality is this - there will be no peace without recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," Netanyahu said.Some Jewish groups also welcomed the decision, with the World Jewish Congress calling it a "critical and courageous step."Protests took place in the Palestinian Territories and there were calls for "days of rage" in neighbouring Lebanon, which is home to a large Palestinian refugee population.Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets, chanting slogans against Trump and in support of Jerusalem and burning car tyres in the towns of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, across Gaza City and in the southern towns of Khan Younis and Rafah.The Christmas tree in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, in the Gaza Strip was turned off in protest.The Gaza-based militant group Hamas blasted Trump‘s decision and said that "the Palestinian people know how to respond appropriately to the degeneration of their feelings and holy sites."Trump however stressed that he still seeks peace and would support a two-state solution as part of a lasting peace agreement."The US remains deeply committed to helping facilitate a peace agreement that is acceptable to both sides," he said. "I intend to do everything in my power to help forge such an agreement."He said he wants a settlement that is "a great deal for the Israelis and a great deal for the Palestinians."Jerusalem is home to the al-Aqsa mosque, Islam‘s third-holiest site, and the location of the First and Second Temples, the most sacred site for Jews.Israel captured the eastern half of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed the territory in a move that was not internationally recognized. The city of more than 800,000 has remained in limbo ever since.Israel views all of Jerusalem as its "unified" capital, while the Palestinian government says that East Jerusalem, which contains the holy sites to Jews, Muslims, and Christians and around 300,000 Palestinian residents, must be the capital of a future Palestinian state.Speculation about the move had swirled as Trump faced a deadline to sign a waiver to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv in the face of a decades-old US law that requires the US to move the embassy to Jerusalem.At the UN, Secretary General Antonio Guterres told reporters: "There is no plan B" to the two-state solution."I have consistently spoken out against any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians."
