Trump to make Jerusalem announcement Wednesday

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump will announce Wednesday his decision on whether the U.S. will recognize the contested city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, according to the White House.

“The president, I would say, is pretty solid in his thinking at this point,” spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.

Asked if Trump has weighed potential violence that may result from Washington's changed stance, Sanders said "A number of things have been looked at that have been weighed into the president's decision".

Reports have mounted that Trump will announce the U.S. will consider Jerusalem Israel's undivided capital, but he may postpone the relocation of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the contested city for some time.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "made his positions clear to the White House" ahead of the planned announcement, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters.

"I think the Department of Defense has as well. But it's ultimately the president's decision to make," she said, appearing to signal that Trump's top Cabinet officials have counseled against the move.

A number of Middle Eastern and European leaders have strongly opposed the move.

Trump "discussed potential decisions regarding Jerusalem" during a flurry of phone call diplomacy with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan's King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, and King Salman of Saudi Arabia.

"The President reaffirmed his commitment to advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the importance of supporting those talks," the White House said in a collective readout of the calls.

Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan said Tuesday that ignoring the "inviolability" of Jerusalem would lead to "serious consequences".

"Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims," Erdogan said at a meeting of lawmakers from his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party.

"We implore the U.S. once again: you cannot take this step," he said.