Turkey: Potential US move on Jerusalem 'worrying'

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin on Tuesday called on the United States administration to refrain from recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Kalin on his Twitter account said: "The news that the U.S. administration will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital is extremely worrying. This is completely against Jerusalem's religious and historical status, international agreements and UN decisions."

"Such a step will dismiss the peace process in the Middle East, which is already in a fragile state, and cause new tensions and conflicts in the Middle East. We hope that the U.S. administration will not make such fatal mistake. Keeping the status of Jerusalem and Harem-i Serif [Al-Aqsa Mosque] has vital importance," he said.

Kalin's remarks came after U.S. media reported last week that U.S. President Donald Trump was mulling the imminent relocation of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the formal recognition of the city as Israel’s capital.

Jerusalem remains at the core of the perennial Israel-Palestine conflict, as Palestinians want Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

During his election, Trump promised to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.