Why Trump’s statement about Jerusalem has people so mad

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has caused major upset worldwide. But why is it such a big deal?

DONALD Trump’s decision to go against years of political policy and recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has caused major upset worldwide and the US President has been accused of destroying any chance of peace between Israelis and Palestinians. But why is it such a big deal?

First of all, a little background into Jerusalem and the conflict between the two groups: Jerusalem is considered a holy city by Christians, Jews and Muslims alike, and is rich in religious significance. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim the city as its capital, but until now, the rest of the world has opted not to recognise either of these claims.

President Donald Trump, accompanied by Vice President Mike Pence, holds up a signed proclamation recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Picture: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

The current conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has been ongoing since the end of World War II. After the war, during which millions were killed during the Holocaust, the Jewish people were given a large portion of land in the region they considered their “traditional home” — in Palestine. However, the Arabs who lived there thought the offer was unfair.

To try to ease tensions between the Jewish and Arab people, in 1947 the United Nations proposed the land be divided into an independent Arab State, an independent Jewish State, and the City of Jerusalem. Neither side was happy with the solution.

In 1948 they went to war, which left Palestinians fleeing Israel for Gaza (controlled by Egypt) and the West Bank (controlled by Jordan). Tensions continued, and during another war in 1967, Israel again captured control of a large portion of Palestinian territory, including the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They also annexed East Jerusalem. Conflict over the land and city has continued ever since.

A protester spray-paints "Free Palaestine" on a wall during a demonstration against the US and Israel in front of the US consulate in Istanbul. Picture: AFP/Ozan Kose

In 1980, Israel passed a law declaring Jerusalem to be Israel’s “complete and united” capital, but the United Nations Security Council condemned this and passed a resolution that it would not recognise the law.

By suggesting that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital, Trump has upset the Palestinian people, because they see the decision as the US siding with Israel. They are concerned that if Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, the entire holy city would then be under de facto Israeli control. Palestinians had intended for the annexed city of East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state under the two-state solution.

Zakaria Odeh, director of the Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem, told Middle Eastern news site Al Jazeera, “If the relocation happens, it would be the first of its kind and would reaffirm to Israel that Jerusalem is ‘one and unified’.”

“It is a very dangerous step,” he said. “It would nullify any plans for future negotiations [on the conflict].”

Palestine’s chief representative in the UK, Manuel Hassassian, sees the move as a declaration of war.

“He is declaring war in the Middle East, he is declaring war against 1.5 billion Muslims [and] hundreds of millions of Christians that are not going to accept the holy shrines to be totally under the hegemony of Israel,” said Mr Hassassian.

What is a two-state solution?

A two-state solution would involve the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel. This would allow both groups of people to live under their own laws and customs. This is overwhelmingly the preferred solution for the majority of Israelis and Palestinians, according to polls. However, there are disagreements over where the borders would lie, and both the Palestinians and Israelis want to claim Jerusalem as their capital. After numerous attempts to bring this to fruition, it has continued to fail, with the most recent talks breaking down in 2014.

A young boy leans on a sign reading ‘There is no you or me, there is Jerusalem’ during a demonstration against the US and Israel in Istanbul. Picture: AFP/Yasin Akgul