It has drawn a storm of criticism from Arab and European leaders, which swelled Tuesday night after the White House confirmed Trump’s plans.Pope Francis and the Chinese foreign ministry joined the chorus of voices warning that the move could unleash a wave of violence across the region. Instead, Trump entrusted that task to his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner.At least one former Obama administration official also criticized the plan. By delivering on that promise, Trump’s aides said, he was enhancing his credibility as a peacemaker.The announcement, officials said, was recognition of current and historic reality. West Jerusalem is the seat of Israel’s government, and recognizing it as such would remove ambiguity from the U.S. position, they said.The process of moving the embassy to Jerusalem will take several years, they noted. As a result, the president planned to sign a national security waiver that allows the administration to keep it in Tel Aviv for an additional six months.

Source: Economic Times December 06, 2017 18:11 UTC