{"id":380456,"date":"2017-12-06T05:59:23","date_gmt":"2017-12-06T05:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=380456"},"modified":"2017-12-06T05:59:23","modified_gmt":"2017-12-06T05:59:23","slug":"us-recognise-jerusalem-israels-capital-world-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/12\/us-recognise-jerusalem-israels-capital-world-first\/","title":{"rendered":"US to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in world first"},"content":{"rendered":"
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US President Donald Trump will recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, senior administration officials have said.<\/p>\n
But the officials said Mr Trump would not immediately move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
The news comes ahead of an expected speech by Mr Trump on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Arab leaders earlier warned against moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, with one saying this would be “a flagrant provocation to Muslims”.<\/p>\n
The status of Jerusalem – a holy site for Israelis and Palestinians – is extremely contentious.<\/p>\n
Israel has always regarded Jerusalem as its capital city, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.<\/p>\n
In recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the US becomes the first country to do so since the foundation of the state in 1948.<\/p>\n
What is so contentious about Jerusalem’s status?<\/strong><\/p>\n
The issue goes to the heart of Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians, who are backed by the rest of the Arab and wider Islamic world.<\/p>\n
The city is home to key religious sites sacred to Judaism, Islam and Christianity, especially in East Jerusalem.<\/p>\n