Trump's Decision for Jerusalem Explained

United States President Donald Trump made a historic announcement on December 6th of this year, overturning decades of US foreign policy in the Middle East. This felt shock around the world and could have seriously damaged the peace process between the Israelites and the Palestinians.

But why is this city so important, and what difference does it take?

Let's take a look at the history of the city.

Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world, and one of great religious and cultural importance to many. Jerusalem is also home to holy sites of Islam: Al-Aqsa Mosque, since it is said that the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. In Judaism, it is home to the most sacred sites where the Holy Temple stood and where the East Wall is still standing. And in Christianity is the city where Jesus was crucified and risen. All these places are a small part of Jerusalem called the Old Town.

The city has been occupied, destroyed and rebuilt during various times in history and is the focus of the conflict that has been lasting for many decades between the Israelites and Palestinians. After the 1948 Arab-Israel War, a ceasefire was signed that split the city in half: Israelis controlled the West, while the Jordanians controlled the east. But in 1967, during the six - day war, Israel conquered eastern Jerusalem, which it still controls.

Today, the argument of which part of the city should control is one of the hottest issues in negotiations for the peace process. But what if one of the key mediators in the negotiations takes a step that seems to favor one side against the other? That brings us to the announcement that the Trump administration made and the importance of that decision. It is the first time an American president recognized the city as Israel's capital since its establishment in 1948.

Jerusalem has always served de facto as Israel's capital, but because of the contradiction of territory, many nations have rejected it and decided to build their embassies at Tel Aviv. Trump said that even this could change and the US could move its embassy to Jerusalem [something like that has denied a little later].

It is important to note, however, that he did not call Jerusalem an undivided capital. Despite that, even when he said in his speech that the U.S. is interested in a peaceful agreement it would be good for both sides, even for the Israelis, and for the Palestinians, but spoke a little bit about the future of East Jerusalem, where they want it to be their capital.

But why is it getting so big that the U.S. is taking sides in this process? This is important because the decades-old U.S. have played the role of the main mediator, and making such a step delegate as impartial arbitrators in the conflict.

That's why the reaction to his speech was so great. Many leaders of other countries have warned that this will have irreparable consequences for the entire region. Jordan's king, Abdullah, a key ally of the United States in the region, said he had warned Trump before giving the speech, that he could face very dangerous reactions. But he is not the only one who has come up against Trump's decision. A group of 57 majority Muslim states have gathered together condemning it. At the same time, European leaders have done the same thing as French President Emmanuel Macron.

But the worst response came from the Palestinian president himself, calling for the United Nations to remove the United States as a key mediator in the peace process.

Subtitles by: Periscope