Jordan begins diplomatic offensive ahead of Trump move on Jerusalem

US President Trump's announcement drew criticism from the Palestinian Authority.

By REUTERS
Updated: DECEMBER 4, 2017 00:45
Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMAD TOROKMAN)
Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
(photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMAD TOROKMAN)
AMMAN - Jordan has begun consultations on convening an emergency meeting of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) before an expected move this week by US President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a senior Jordanian source said.
A senior US administration official said on Friday that Trump was likely to make the controversial declaration in a speech on Wednesday. Recognizing Jerusalem would upend decades of American policy and possibly inflame tensions in the Middle East.
Jordan, the current president of the Arab summit, would invite members of the two bodies to convene if the recognition is extended, to "discuss ways of dealing with the consequences of such a decision that raised alarm and concern," the senior Jordanian diplomatic source told Reuters.
"It could ultimately hamper all efforts to get the peace process moving and holds a very high risk of provoking Arab and Muslim countries and Muslim communities in the West," said the diplomatic source, asking not to be named.
King Abdullah's Hashemite dynasty is the custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, making Amman sensitive to any changes of status of the disputed city.
Word of Trump’s planned announcement, which would deviate from previous US presidents who have insisted the Jerusalem’s status must be decided in negotiations, drew criticism from the Palestinian Authority and was sure to anger the broader Arab world.
The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and the international community does not recognize Israel's claim on all of the city, home to sites holy to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions.
Jordan lost east Jerusalem and the West Bank to Israel during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and says the city's fate should only be decided only at the end of a final settlement. "It is essential no unilateral decisions are made that would change the historic status quo of Jerusalem as an occupied city whose fate needs to be determined in final status talks within an overall peace package," the senior Jordanian diplomatic source added.