US will ‘proudly’ open a new embassy in proposed ‘Palestinian capital’ in east Jerusalem – Trump

US President Donald Trump has said that Washington will open a new embassy in East Jerusalem, where a proposed new Palestinian capital will exist, under his freshly unveiled Middle East peace plan.

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said that he will “proudly open an embassy” in the capital if the plan is accepted.

At the same time, however, Trump said that his plan envisions Jerusalem as an “undivided capital” of Israel.

“Under this vision, Jerusalem will remain Israel’s undivided capital,” Trump said, scoring a lengthy applause from the audience. “But that’s no big deal, because I’ve already done that for you, right?” he added.

Trump relocated the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem last May, effectively recognizing it as the country’s capital. The symbolic move coincided with the 70th anniversary of the country. Jerusalem is claimed as a capital city by both Palestinians and Israelis and its eastern part is considered to be an occupied territory. Trump’s move therefore met quite a mixed reaction, as it was seen as an openly-pro Israel gesture that further damaged the US image of an ‘impartial broker’ for the years-long conflict that it pretends to be.

The promise to somehow have Jerusalem as an “undivided” capital of Israel and at the same time create a Palestinian capital in “parts” of East Jerusalem caused significant confusion and sparked debate on what exactly the US president meant.

Trump’s 80-page peace plan for Israel and Palestine proposes a two-state solution which will be negotiated on the basis of a conceptual and detailed proposed map. He said the plan will “more than double” Palestinian territory and no Israelis or Palestinians will be uprooted.

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