ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin warned on Monday that Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel risks escalating tension in an already tense region. Trump’s decision and his plan to move the US embassy to Jerusalem sparked violence in Jerusalem, with a fifth day of protests in the Middle East. Erdogan said that the current “vandalism and cruelty” in Jerusalem would not last. Trump’s move has ignited protests across the Islamic world and deadly violence in the Palestinian territories. The two sides have since stepped up cooperation, particularly in energy, but Erdogan has repeatedly been critical of Israeli policy.

Source: New Strait Times December 12, 2017 00:45 UTC