Donald Trump has told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he "intends to move" the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, according to Palestinian officials.
The relocation has the potential to fan the flames in the Israel-Palestinian conflict as Mr Trump's administration seeks to broker a peace agreement in the region.
During a phone call between the US leader and Mr Abbas, the Palestinian president warned Mr Trump that moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would have "dangerous consequences", a spokesman for Mr Abbas said.
The news comes a day before Mr Trump is set to designate Jerusalem as the capital of Israel - another issue that has drawn controversy and could spark political unrest.
The diplomatic status of Jerusalem is one of the world’s thorniest issues, and any change could have vast repercussions across the Middle East. The city’s holy sites are sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, with both Israel and the Palestinians claiming it as their capital. The Palestinians want a number of areas of the city as part of any future state.
Israel occupied the area in the 1967 Middle East war and regards the entire city as its indivisible capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem. According to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accord, the city’s final status is meant to be discussed in later peace talks.
Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem has never been recognised internationally, which would change with Mr Trump's announcement.The anticipated move has left several Middle Eastern leaders scrambling to dissuade him from altering the city's status and has kicked up resistance in his own administration.
Multiple ambassadors from the region and senior officials in the State Department's Near Eastern Affairs bureau (NEA), which deals with that area, have "expressed their deep concern about doing this", a US official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The official said the concerns focused on "security".
Asked for comment on this report, a State Department official told The Independent "the President has always said it is a matter of when, not if", regarding the change of Jerusalem's diplomatic status.
"The President is still considering options and we have nothing to announce," the official said.
But Middle Eastern leaders have not been in tepid in their statements declaring opposition to Mr Trump's plans.
“Any US announcement on the status of Jerusalem prior to a final settlement would have a detrimental impact on the peace process and would heighten tensions in the region,” Saudi Ambassador Prince Khalid bin Salman said in a statement. “The kingdom’s policy has been, and remains, in support of the Palestinian people, and this has been communicated to the US administration.”
French President Emmanuel Macron and the EU's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, have also spoken out against the change.
During a phone call with the US leader, Mr Macron expressed his concern over the possibility of the US “unilaterally designating Jerusalem as capital of the state of Israel,” according to a statement issued by the French government.
“Mr Macron,” the statement said, “reaffirmed that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, and particularly those relating to the establishment of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Jerusalem as their capital.”
Standing beside Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Brussels on Tuesday, Ms Mogherini, also publicly voiced opposition to Mr Trump's expected announcement on Jerusalem.
"During our bilateral meeting we discussed mainly four issues; first of all, the Middle East peace process, the European Union support, the resumption of a meaningful peace process towards a two-state solution," she said. "We believe that any action that would undermine these efforts must absolutely be avoided. A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled."
Along with Mr Abbas, Mr Trump spoke on the phone on Tuesday with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - who is expected to support the US's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital - and King Abdullah of Jordan.
Mr Trump also told the Jordanian leader that he intends to proceed with a decision to move the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a Jordanian palace statement said.
King Abdullah was quoted in the statement as telling Mr Trump that such a decision would have “dangerous repercussions on the stability and security of the region” and would obstruct US efforts to resume Arab-Israeli peace talks. It would also inflame Muslim and Christian feelings, the king added. The leader is also opposed to changing Jerusalem's diplomatic status.
But while Mr Trump has told Middle Eastern leaders that he intends to relocate the US embassy, the timeframe for doing so is still uncertain.
The deadline has passed for Mr Trump to sign a waiver delaying the embassy move for another six months. However, he is still expected to sign it in the coming days, along with beginning the process of moving the embassy. The President will appoint someone to be in charge of finding a new location.
All countries currently maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial capital. And each American president since 1995 has signed a national security waiver every six months to keep the US embassy in Tel Aviv.
Mr Trump - under pressure from Arab leaders - also deferred a decision in June to move it to Jerusalem, even though he said during the campaign that it would be one of his first acts as president.
That action came as leaders warned that the change would spark protests, and advisers – including his son-in-law Jared Kushner – were reported to be concerned that it could complicate the administration’s efforts to foster peace talks.
Mr Kushner is now said to be counting on his relationship with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince - Mohammed bin Salman - to be the key to brokering a Middle East peace agreement. Mr Trump’s son-in-law also hopes this connection could mitigate any Arab uprising that could result from the President’s upcoming announcements.
