The Latest: Lebanese newspapers issue front page rebukes to President Trump over his expected Jerusalem announcement.
The Latest on President Donald Trump’s expected recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on Wednesday (all times local):
11:50 a.m.
Two leading Lebanese newspapers have issued front page rebukes to President Donald Trump over his expected announcement recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The An-Nahar compares the U. S. president to the late British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, who a hundred years ago famously promised Palestine as a national home to the Jewish People, in what is known as the Balfour declaration.
The paper’s Wednesday headline reads: « Trump, Balfour of the century, gifts Jerusalem to Israel. »
The English-language Daily Star newspaper has published a full-page photo of Old City of Jerusalem capped by the Dome of the Rock beneath the headline: « No offense Mr. President, Jerusalem is the capital of PALESTINE. »
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11:35 a.m.
Pope Francis is calling for the status quo of Jerusalem to be respected and for « wisdom and prudence » to prevail to avoid further conflict.
Francis made the appeal during his weekly Wednesday audience, ahead of the expected U. S. announcement by President Donald Trump recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Francis said he was « profoundly concerned » about recent developments, and declared Jerusalem a unique and sacred place for Christians, Jews and Muslims that has a « special vocation for peace. »
He appealed « that everyone respects the status quo of the city » according to U. N. resolutions.
He says: « I pray to the Lord that its identity is preserved and strengthened for the benefit of the Holy Land, the Middle East and the whole world and that wisdom and prudence prevail to prevent new elements of tension from being added to a global context already convulsed by so many cruel conflicts. »
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11:30 a.m.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says the « whole world is against » President Donald Trump’s move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and eventually move the U. S. Embassy there.
Cavusoglu’s remarks came just before a meeting with U. S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday.
He says that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would be a « grave mistake. »
Cavusoglu says such a move would « not bring any stability, peace but rather chaos and instability. »
The Turkish diplomat says the whole world is reacting, not just the Muslim world. He says he’s raised the issue with Tillerson in the past and plans to do so again.
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11:20 a.m.
Pope Francis has called for dialogue that respects the rights of everyone in the Holy Land and expressed his hope for « peace and prosperity » for the Palestinian people, ahead of the expected announcement that the U. S. will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Francis made the comments on Wednesday during a previously scheduled meeting with a Palestinian delegation of religious and intellectual leaders. The Vatican says it was coincidental that the audience fell on the same day as the U. S. announcement.
In his remarks, Francis said the Holy Land was the « land par excellence of dialogue between God and mankind. »
He said: « The primary condition of that dialogue is reciprocal respect and a commitment to strengthening that respect, for the sake of recognizing the rights of all people, wherever they happen to be. »
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11:10 a.m.
Israel’s justice minister says she welcomes Trump’s declaration on Jerusalem and encourages him to « move the embassy de facto » to Jerusalem.
Ayelet Shaked told The Associated Press on the sidelines of the Jerusalem Post’s Diplomatic Conference on Wednesday that Trump has to go beyond the paperwork stage and not be intimidated by Arab threats of violence.
Shaked says: « I wouldn’t be worried about this event or the other. If Arab leaders take steps to prevent unrest, there won’t be any unrest. »
She spoke ahead of a speech at the conference by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
President Trump is slated to make an announcement about recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which has garnered widespread condemnation from the Palestinians and the wider Arab world, later on Wednesday.
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10:35 a.m.
Britain’s foreign secretary is expressing concern about reports that U. S. President Donald Trump might recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Boris Johnson says: « Let’s wait and see what the president says exactly, but we view the reports that we’ve heard with concern. »
He told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday that Britain thinks « Jerusalem obviously should be part of the final settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians — a negotiated settlement that we want to see. »
Johnson added: « We have no plans ourselves to move our embassy. »
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10:30 a.m.
Pope Francis has spoken with the Palestinian leader about the U. S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and is meeting with a Palestinian delegation of religious and academic leaders.
Vatican officials say Wednesday’s meeting was organized well in advance by the Vatican’s interreligious dialogue office, and that it was purely coincidental that it fell on the same day as the U. S. announcement, expected in the early afternoon in Washington.
The Vatican says Francis spoke by telephone on Tuesday with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas after President Donald Trump called Abbas to advise him of his decision. The call came at Abbas’ initiative.
The Vatican has long sought an internationally guaranteed status for Jerusalem that safeguards its sacred character for Jews, Muslims and Christians.
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9:40 a.m.
Turkey’s prime minister says President Donald Trump’s expected recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital will make the region’s problems « unresolvable. »
U. S. officials have told The Associated Press the announcement would come on Wednesday and would include instructions for the State Department to begin moving the U. S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim spoke about the possibility at a news conference with South Korean officials in Seoul.
Yildirim said it was vital for the Middle Eastern region and for global peace that Trump not make such an announcement.
