Russia concerned over US move on Jerusalem

By Emre Gurkan Abay

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia is concerned about a "possible complication" of the situation if the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

"The situation is complex," Peskov told reporters.

U.S. President Donald Trump is due to formally recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital later on Wednesday and begin preparations to move the embassy from Tel Aviv, three senior U.S. officials confirmed late Tuesday.

Peskov said it was early to comment on a decision that had not been taken yet.

He said Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas discussed the situation in a phone call on Tuesday.

Jerusalem remains at the core of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that the city’s eastern part -- which was occupied by Israel in 1967 -- might serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

During his election campaign last year, Trump repeatedly promised to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians.

Israel has maintained that all Jerusalem is the capital of its "undivided" state and has ramped up settlement expansion in the area since Trump’s inauguration in January.