Donald Trump could recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel today

WASHINGTON, (Patria) - US President Donald Trump intends to speak about the status of Jerusalem tonight, the White House spokeswoman announced, after Trump informed Middle Eastern leaders of his intention to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and thus actually recognize the city as the Israeli capital.

- I know there have been many inquiries regarding the President's plan on Jerusalem. The President will make a statement tonight - said Sarah Sanders.

Donald Trump informed Arab leaders on Tuesday of his intention to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Many of them warned that unilateral US moves regarding Jerusalem could negatively affect peace negotiations and lead to unrest in the region.

The US Consulate in Jerusalem ordered its employees on Tuesday, following Trump's announcement, not to go to the West Bank or the Old City of Jerusalem.

The issue of Jerusalem is very sensitive for Trump, partly because he promised during his election campaign that he would move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to that city.

Senior US officials said that the US President would likely recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital on Wednesday, but that the relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv would likely be postponed for six months.

However, he is expected to instruct his associates to immediately begin planning the move.

Israeli Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat said that the embassy relocation would take a total of "two minutes".

Barkat said that the US only needs to convert one of his current buildings in Jerusalem into an embassy, such as the consulate in West Jerusalem.

- They need to convert the consulate sign to an embassy sign, two US Marines can do that in a couple of minutes, and give Ambassador David Friedman a place to sit - Barkat told radio station "Israel radio".

East Jerusalem came under Jordan's control after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, which broke out after the declaration of the state of Israel.

He then occupied that part of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War in 1967.

In 1980, Israel declared Jerusalem its capital, and the seat of the president, prime minister, parliament (Knesset), and almost all ministries are located in West Jerusalem.

UN Security Council Resolution 478 states that Israel's 1980 decision is null and void, and calls on all states to keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the main points of contention in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while Israel considers the city its indivisible and eternal capital.

US acceptance of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital would end decades of US policy that the city's status should be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians.

- The implementation of that decision is immediate, and then later employees are slowly and more structurally moved to start providing services in Jerusalem - said Barkat.