The President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, has announced that the USA officially recognizes that Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel. This comes ahead of the USA moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The decision by President Trump overturns decades of America having its embassy in the city of Tel Aviv. In an address at the White House, Mr Trump explained his rationale for his decision. He said he, "judged this course of action to be in the best interests of the United States of America, and the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians". He added that recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital was, "nothing more or less than a recognition of reality".

The UN called the decision "a moment of great anxiety". It added: "There is no alternative to the two-state solution." Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was "a historic day". He said Israel was profoundly grateful to President Trump. Palestinian leader, Ismail Haniya, described Trump's decision as a "flagrant aggression," and "the official announcement of the end of the peace process." A Palestinian diplomat told the BBC that Mr Trump, "is declaring war in the Middle East and against 1.5 billion Muslims." Israel's Haaretz newspaper wrote: "It will certainly provide Iran and its allies with a wonderful rallying cry and could even breathe new life into terrorist organizations like ISIS."