Large-scale Warnings from Repercussions of Trump’s Insistence to Move Embassy

This file photo taken on January 20, 2017 shows the exterior of the US Embassy building in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv. (AFP/JACK GUEZ)
This file photo taken on January 20, 2017 shows the exterior of the US Embassy building in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv. (AFP/JACK GUEZ)
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Large-scale Warnings from Repercussions of Trump’s Insistence to Move Embassy

This file photo taken on January 20, 2017 shows the exterior of the US Embassy building in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv. (AFP/JACK GUEZ)
This file photo taken on January 20, 2017 shows the exterior of the US Embassy building in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv. (AFP/JACK GUEZ)

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday his plans to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a step that drove Arab and international anger and several warnings from its repercussions.

The issue of the US embassy in Jerusalem was also discussed during a phone conversation between the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Trump.

During the phone call made by Trump, the King stressed that any US declaration on the status of Quds before reaching a final settlement, would harm peace negotiation process and escalate tension in the region, adding that the Kingdom was and is still committed to support the Palestinian people and their historical rights.

Trump also telephoned Jordanian King Abdullah II, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah el-Sisi, who all warned him from the dangerous repercussions of moving the location of the embassy.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Press Secretary of the Trump administration, said on Tuesday night that the President “is pretty solid in his thinking at this point.”

Sanders said that Trump would deliver remarks regarding his decision on Jerusalem on Wednesday, adding that the President reiterated his commitment to achieve advancement in the peace operation.

Trump’s decision regarding moving the US embassy to Jerusalem was met by warnings from French President Emmanuel Macron and the European Union.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to cut off diplomatic relations with Israel if Washington recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

“This could go as far as cutting our diplomatic relations with Israel. You cannot take such a step,” Erdogan told a parliamentary group meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party.

He added that Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims and that Ankara would take necessary measures in the event of the US possible move.



Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
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Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)

Dozens of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants will hand over their weapons in a ceremony in northern Iraq on Friday, marking a symbolic but significant first step toward ending a decades-long insurgency with Türkiye.

The PKK, locked in conflict with the Turkish state and outlawed since 1984, decided in May to disband, disarm and end its armed struggle after a public call to do so from its long-imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, Reuters said.

After a series of failed peace efforts, the new initiative could pave the way for Ankara to end an insurgency that has killed over 40,000 people, burdened the economy and wrought deep social and political divisions in Türkiye and the wider region.

Around 40 PKK militants and one commander were expected to hand over their weapons at the ceremony in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, people familiar with the plan said. The PKK is based in northern Iraq after being pushed well beyond Türkiye’s frontier in recent years.

The arms are to be destroyed later in another ceremony attended by Turkish and Iraqi intelligence figures, officials of Iraq's Kurdistan regional government, and senior members of Türkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM party - which also played a key role in facilitating the PKK's disarmament decision.

The PKK, DEM and Ocalan have all called on Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's government to address Kurdish political demands. In a rare online video published on Wednesday, Ocalan also urged Türkiye's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage the broader peace process.

Ankara has taken steps toward forming the commission, while the DEM and Ocalan have said that legal assurances and certain mechanisms were needed to smooth the PKK's transition into democratic politics.

Erdogan has said his government would not allow any attempts to sabotage the disarmament process, adding he would give people "historic good news".

Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan's AK Party, said the disarmament process should not be allowed to drag on longer than a few months to avoid it becoming subject to provocations.