US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s so-called capital was a “flagrant violation” of international law, says a political analyst in Chicago.
“It’s a deplorable situation; it's just another example of the horrible way Trump is governing and I can’t imagine what’s coming in 2018; he’s done so much damage in 2017,” Stephen Lendman said during an interview with Press TV on Monday.
“He flagrantly violated international law, which says Jerusalem is an international city and the final status of the city is to be agreed on from [peace] talks,” he added.
On December 6, Trump declared that Washington was recognizing Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel and was planning to relocate the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds.
A new poll shows fewer than half of Americans support Trump's decision, and even a smaller number support moving the US embassy.
The CNN poll released Friday found that Americans are deeply divided over Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the “capital” of Israel, with 44 percent approving the move and 45 percent disapproving.
The survey also shows that 49 percent say the US embassy in Israel should not be moved from Tel Aviv, while 36 percent support the move.
Two-thirds of Americans say the US should not take the side of either Israel or Palestine in the Middle East conflict. Most Americans, 56 percent, also doubt that a time will come when Israelis and Palestinians will reach peaceful settlement.
The dramatic shift in Washington’s policy has triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as in other Muslim countries including Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq and Morocco.
On Thursday, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution that condemned the US president’s decision. Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that supported the resolution.