Arab nations came down heavily on President Donald Trump following the announcement.
India’s position on Palestine is independent and not determined by a third country, India said on Thursday hours after President Donald Trump recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“India’s position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said Thursday.
Kumar was responding to a question on the latest move of the Trump administration.
Posing a threat to the regional stability of West Asia, President Donald Trump, on Thursday, formally recognized Jerusalem, the city holy to Muslims, Christians, and Jews, as the capital of Israel.
“Today we finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital,” Trump said adding “this is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. It’s something that has to be done.”
Peace efforts in West Asia took a hit as the US changed its foreign policy nearly after 70 years.
The US has also started plans to move
Angered by the decision, Arab nations came down heavily on President Donald Trump following the announcement.
“It incites feelings of anger among all Muslims and threatens world peace,” Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, imam of Egypt’s al-Azhar mosque, told Reuters. “The gates of hell will be opened in the West before the East.”
Trump also said that the administration would start the process of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The US administration has been issuing a series of six-month waivers to forestall the move of the embassy to Jerusalem ever since the Congress passed a law in 1995 ordering the U.S. Embassy to be moved to Jerusalem.
Welcoming Trump’s decision, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We are profoundly grateful for the president for his courageous and just decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”