As Chairman of Al-Quds Committee, which is affiliated with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation – a grouping that comprises 57 countries representing over one billion citizens, King Mohammed VI sent on Tuesday, 5th of December, a message to the US President, Donald Trump, after he announced moving the American embassy to the contested holy city of Jerusalem.
In his letter, the Moroccan sovereign expressed his «deed concern and that of Arab and Muslim countries following the persistent news of your Administration’s intention to recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel».
«The above-mentioned intention would have a negative impact on prospects for achieving a just, comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, particularly as the United States of America is one of the main sponsors of the peace process – one that enjoys the trust of all parties», warned the king.
Is Donald Trump ready for this decision ?
The royal message is in fact part of the multiple efforts made in the recent days to stop the White House from taking this step. In addition to Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Arab League, the regional organization of Arab countries, have sounded the same urgent call. Indeed, the organization held on Tuesday in Cairo an extraordinary session to discuss the subject.
Nevertheless, Donald Trump seems determined to break up with the policy adopted by his predecessors to honor in particular the promises he made during his electoral campaign. In fact, the President of the United States informed his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas by phone of his intention to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Al-Quds. Trump also announced the same thing to Jordan’s king Abdellah II. Trump is due to speak Wednesday on the status of Jerusalem, according to the White House.
For the record, Congress passed a law in 1995 obliging the United States to move its embassy to Jerusalem. However, since then, all presidents have postponed the move for six months for «national security reasons». The pressure exerted by the Arab and Muslim States was efficient for so many years, but the geo-strategic situation in the Middle East and especially in the Gulf region has visibly changed. Today some states in the region are even willing to establish relations with Israel.