Jerusalem: Turkey warns Trump against crossing 'red line'

                      

            “Jerusalem: New Warnings over US Shift on City Status.” BBC News, BBC, 5 Dec. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42232158.

                          

Turkey's president has warned it could sever ties with Israel if the US recognizes Jerusalem as its capital.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said such a move would cross a "red line" for Muslims.

Donald Trump called Middle Eastern leaders on Tuesday amid growing warnings against taking the step.

Reports say the president will dramatically shift the US position on the status of Jerusalem this week. Its fate is one of the thorniest issues between Israel and the Palestinians.

Israel has always regarded it as its capital city, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

If Washington recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital, it would be the first country to do so since the foundation of the state in 1948.

What did Turkey say?

In a televised speech, Mr. Erdogan addressed the US president directly, saying "Mr. Trump! Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims.

"We could go as far as cutting diplomatic ties with Israel over the issue," he added.

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Turkey and Israel restored diplomatic relations last year, six years after Turkey severed ties in protest at the killing of nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists in clashes with Israeli commandos on board a ship trying to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza.

Israeli minister Naftali Bennett rebuffed the Turkish president, saying: "Unfortunately, Erdogan does not miss an opportunity to attack Israel.

"There will always be those who criticize, but at the end of the day it is better to have a united Jerusalem than Erdogan's sympathy."

Mr. Trump has been having conversations with numerous world leaders a day before his anticipated announcement.

A Palestinian spokesman said President Mahmoud Abbas had told Mr. Trump that moving the US embassy to Jerusalem would have dangerous consequences. He said Mr. Abbas gave the warning after Mr. Trump informed him of his intention to move the embassy.

Jordan's King Abdullah has taken a similar line on the issue. He told Mr. Trump that moving the embassy would have "dangerous repercussions on the stability and security of the region", a statement from the Jordanian palace said.

Jordan acts as custodian of the Islamic sites in Jerusalem.

What is so contentious about Jerusalem's status?

The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of Israel's conflict with the Palestinians, who are backed by the rest of the Arab and wider Islamic world.

The city is home to key religious sites sacred to Judaism, Islam and Christianity, especially in East Jerusalem.

Israel occupied the sector, previously occupied by Jordan, in the 1967 Middle East war and regards the entire city as its indivisible capital.

The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, and according to 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accords, its final status is meant to be discussed in the latter stages of peace talks.

Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem has never been recognized internationally, and all countries, including Israel's closest ally the US, maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv.

Since 1967, Israel has built a dozen settlements, home to about 200,000 Jews, in East Jerusalem. These are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

If the US recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital, it will put it out-of-step with the rest of the international community and reinforce Israel's position that settlements in the east are valid Israeli communities.

Who else has spoken out?

France's President Emmanuel Macron told Donald Trump he is "concerned" the US leader could unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying any decision on its status must be "within the framework of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians".

The European Union, part of the so-called Middle East Quartet of mediators which includes the US, the UN and Russia, warned of "serious repercussions on public opinion in large parts of the world".

Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned it would be "a dangerous measure that would have repercussions".

Saudi Arabia said such a move before a final settlement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would "have a detrimental impact on the peace process".

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has also warned against the move. A statement said the leader had told Mr. Trump not to complicate matters in the Middle East.

Audience: The Audience of this article is pointed mainly toward they Muslims and Jews in Jerusalem, around the surrounding city and even outside the city. Because they are the ones in the midst of this ciaos.  This is a big and important change in some of the lives of the Jews in the capital of Israel, Jerusalem, moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, and making the city the capital of Israel, arose some negative protesters in the West bank and Jerusalem, where some of the Palestinians reside.

Author’s Bias: In this article, the author this making it clear that What Trump wants to do, is making it a “red line” in the eyes of the Muslims, and can cause uproar from the Palestinians, because of their Capital in East Jerusalem, in the near future. The author’s bias is pointed, toward having the capital in Jerusalem. Even though there will be an uproar against the Palestinians, and Israelis. The author I think, is trying to show what other leaders think, so he/she is trying to get an all-around response, to hear what everyone is trying to say. To where is no right or wrong answer.

Reader’s bias: I personally think that this article is saying, through a variety of different people that the capital should not be in Jerusalem. Being a Christian, according to the bible, Jerusalem has been the Capital ever since King David, you would think that Jerusalem would already be the capital of Israel already. There has been conflict with Israel and Palestine for years, between the Golan heights, West Bank, and the Gaza strip. It is hard to tell now, what is and isn’t part of Israel.