<p>In a highly-anticipated speech on Wednesday, President Trump announced what he calls a &#8220;recognition of reality&#8221; &#8211; that Jerusalem is, and has long been, the seat of the Israeli government. ;</p>
<p>&#8220;While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering,&#8221; said Trump, adding that the decision is a &ldquo;long overdue step to advance the peace process.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>Trump&#8217;s decision reverses decades of US policy and begins the process of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;It seems clear now that the physical location of the American embassy is not material to a peace deal,&rdquo; said one senior official. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not an impediment to peace and it&rsquo;s not a facilitator to peace. After having tried this for 22 years, an acknowledgment of reality seems like an important thing.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>White House officials stressed that the move would have no impact on the boundaries of future Palestinian and Israeli states as negotiated under a final agreement, and Trump suggested he would accept a two-state solution if both sides agreed. ;</p>
<p>Trump spoke with several world leaders on Tuesday, and nearly all of them warned him not to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. ;</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s King Salman said the decision would ;&ldquo;constitute a flagrant provocation of Muslims all over the world&rdquo; and ;Jordan&rsquo;s King Abdullah said the move would &ldquo;undermine efforts to resume the peace process.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>Palestinian officials said an embassy move would put an end to US-led peace efforts between the two sides and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ;threatened to sever ties with Israel. ;</p>
<p>China, the EU, and France urged Trump not to do anything that would threaten future peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. ; ;</p>
<p>The Administration is optimistic about the prospects for a peace deal led by Trump&rsquo;s son-in-law and top adviser, Jared Kushner, and chief negotiator Jason Greenblatt.</p>
<p>&ldquo;While we understand how some parties might react, we are still working on our plan which is not yet ready,&#8221; said one Administration official. &#8220;We have time to get it right and see how people feel after this news is processed over the next period of time.&#8221;</p>
<p>It will take an estimated 3-4 years to plan and construct the new embassy in Jerusalem. ;  ;</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p>Jerusalem was divided in two by barbed wire until 1967, when Israel took control of the city. The international community did not recognize this so-called &ldquo;unification&rdquo; of Jerusalem, and embassies stayed put. As part of a later settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, the international community recognized East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. ;</p>
<p>Today, both Israel and Palestine regard Jerusalem as their capital. Palestine views Jerusalem as divided into two halves, but the Israelis view it as whole. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Because of Jerusalem&rsquo;s disputed status, Mr. Trump now risks derailing a Middle East peace effort that the White House had been working on and could damage strong ties his US Administration has nurtured with Arab states,&rdquo; reports the <em>Wall Street Journal. ;</em></p>
<p>With Trump&rsquo;s decision, the United States will become the first country to recognize Jerusalem as Israel&rsquo;s capital since the foundation of the state in 1948. There are more than 80 embassies in Tel Aviv, but no country has its embassy in Jerusalem due to the city&#8217;s contested status. ;</p>
<p>In response to Trump&#8217;s announcement, Palestinian officials announced three &#8220;days of rage&#8221; and the ;State Department has warned travelers to avoid the West Bank and Jerusalem&rsquo;s Old City. ; ;</p>