Trump recognizes occupied Quds as Israel's capital

US President Donald Trump abruptly reversed decades of U.S. policy on Wednesday and recognized the ocucpied al-Quds ('Jerusalem') as the capital of Israel, generating outrage from Palestinians and defying warnings of unrest in the Middle East.

Drawing praise from Israel, Trump said in a speech in the White House that his administration would begin a process of moving the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv to Quds.

The status of Quds -- home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions -- is one of the thorniest obstacles to reaching a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

The international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, believing its status should be resolved in negotiations.

"I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," Trump said. "While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump’sannouncement as a “historic landmark" and urged other countries

also to move their embassies in Israel to Quds.

Netanyahu said any peace deal with Palestinians must include 'Jerusalem' as Israel’s capital. This would be a non-starter for Palestinians if it means the entire city would be under Israeli control.

PA Head Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday called the city "the eternal capital of the state of Palestine." Abbas said Trump’s decision was tantamount to the United States abdicating its peace mediator role.

No other country has its embassy in 'Jerusalem'.

Two small Latin American states, El Salvador and Costa Rica, previouslyhad embassies in Jerusalem before shifting them to Tel Aviv in
 2006, saying they wanted to abide with international norms.