In a statement issued 6 December, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressed grave concern over President Trump’s announcement that the United States will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“Such a step breaks with the longstanding international consensus, and almost seven decades of established American policy, that the status of Jerusalem remains to be settled,” stated Tveit. “It also pre-empts a negotiated resolution of this most difficult issue in any final peace agreement, which must be achieved between Israelis and Palestinians themselves.”
The WCC statement also shared and strongly affirmed the concerns expressed by His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, that the measure will have serious implications for security and stability in the Middle East, will undermine the efforts of the American administration to resume the peace process and fuel the feelings of Palestinian Muslims and Christians alike.
“The United States must play a pivotal role in encouraging and supporting constructive negotiations between the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, if the moribund peace process is to be revived,” stated Tveit. “But the imposition of this decision on the status of Jerusalem will only lead to more disillusionment, increased tensions, and diminished hopes.”
