UPDATE International criticism mounts after Trump recognition of Jerusalem

Berlin (dpa) - Condemnation in the Middle East and across the world has mounted after US President Donald Trump‘s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel‘s capital. Israel itself was the only country celebrating the announcement that its US ally would be moving its embassy from Tel Aviv. Here is a selection of comments:"The announcement has the potential to send us backwards to even darker times than the ones we are living in."- EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini"We affirm that Jerusalem is united, not Eastern or Western, and will remain the capital of Palestine, all of Palestine." - Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a speech from the Gaza Strip"These reprehensible measures constitute a deliberate undermining of all peace efforts and represent a declaration that the United States has withdrawn from playing the role it has played in the past decades in sponsoring the peace process."- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas"The president‘s decision is an important step towards peace, for there is no peace that doesn‘t include Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel. I share President Trump‘s commitment to advancing peace between Israel and all of our neighbours, including the Palestinians."- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu"Jerusalem will never be the capital of Israel, regardless of what Trump said." - Jamal Muheisen, senior member of the Fatah party, at a rally in Ramallah"The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hopes that the US administration will reverse this action, and support the international will to enable the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate rights."- Saudi government spokesman"The government does not support this stance because the status of Jerusalem is to be negotiated within the framework of a two-state solution."- German Chancellor Angela Merkel"We disagree with the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital before a final status agreement. We believe it is unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region."- British Prime Minister Theresa May"The only option Muslims have now is to fight to regain everything they had lost to unbelievers by means of force ... The enemy is once more trying to take the remaining holy sites in Palestine." - Somalia‘s al-Shabaab militant group calling on Muslims around the world to take up arms against the US"We have concerns that conditions could worsen in the Middle East as a whole, or that the situation of peace in the Middle East could become tougher, so we will keep a close eye on developments." - Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono "Such unilateral decisions violate international legitimacy resolutions and will not change the legal status of the city of Jerusalem as being under occupation."- Egyptian Foreign Ministry "Indonesia calls on the United States to consider withdrawing the decision. Such unilateral recognition violates various resolutions of the UN Security Council of which the United States is a permanent member. It could also shake global stability."- Indonesian President Joko Widodo    "[It is] dangerous and threatening the credibility of the United States as a sponsor of the peace process in the region."- Lebanese President Michel Aoun"The future of Jerusalem is not determined by a state or a president, but by its history and the will and determination of the loyal people to the Palestinian cause"- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad"All unilateral measures aimed at imposing new facts on the ground are null and void."- Jordan‘s State Minister for Media Affairs Mohammad al-Momani"Canada‘s longstanding position is that the status of Jerusalem can be resolved only as part of a general settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute."- Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland"We appeal to the sense of responsibility of all actors in Palestine and in the region so that incidents and violence from which no one benefits can be avoided."- Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano