OTTAWA—Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland added her voice to a chorus of global leaders appealing for calm in the Middle East on Wednesday in the wake of the Trump administration’s move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Canadians in the region were being urged to exercise caution ahead of three days of planned protests against the U.S. announcement, which included the start of a plan to relocate the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, upending decades of the U.S. policy in the region.

By recognizing Israel’s claim to Jerusalem, Trump is seen by the Palestinians as siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in the conflict. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem — which Israel captured in 1967 — for their capital.

But Trump declared it was time for a new approach to Mideast peace after decades of failure. Calling Jerusalem Israel’s capital, he argued, was merely recognizing the obvious.

“We cannot solve our problems by making the same failed assumptions and repeating the same failed strategies of the past,” the president said.

Freeland had been briefed on the announcement in a call Monday with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, sources told The Canadian Press.

The two are also together this week at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where Tillerson has been getting an earful from world leaders over Trump’s move.

But the Liberal government said Wednesday the Canadian embassy will remain in Tel Aviv and its policy on Jerusalem won’t change. The city’s status can only be determined as part of peace talks, the government said.

“We are strongly committed to the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, including the creation of a Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel,” Freeland said.

“We call for calm and continue to support the building of conditions necessary for the parties to find a solution.”

Although Trump said the announcement did not represent a departure from his country’s commitment to facilitate a peace agreement, Palestinian leaders said that was a done deal.

The U.S. policy change “is a declaration of withdrawal from the role it has played in the peace process,” said Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says the whole world opposes U.S. President Donald Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the U.S. Embassy there. Cavusoglu commented before meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. (The Associated Press)

Ahead of Trump’s White House speech, Arab and Muslim leaders spoke about the potential for violence. In Gaza, hundreds of Palestinian protesters burned American and Israeli flags. They also waved Palestinian flags and banners proclaiming Jerusalem as their “eternal capital,” language that Israelis similarly use.

New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh said it’s clear that Trump’s move is counterproductive and Canada should speak up.

“It is something that needs to be pointed out as being divisive,” Singh said.

Organizations that advocate on behalf of Canada’s Jewish community, however, suggested the Liberals should follow Trump’s lead.

“Since the re-establishment of the modern State of Israel, Jerusalem has been the home to Israel’s democratically elected parliament, independent supreme court and national government offices,” the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said in a statement.

“We have always maintained that Canada should formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”

During the 1979 Canadian federal election, Progressive Conservative Leader Joe Clark pledged to move Canada’s embassy to Jerusalem, and repeated the promise when he was elected prime minister.

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He faced stiff opposition to the idea, including from then-opposition leader Pierre Trudeau, who called the move damaging to Canada’s credibility.

Clark appointed former party leader Robert Stanfield as a special envoy to the region and he returned with a report recommending Canada’s diplomatic mission stay put. Clark agreed.

Subsequent Conservative politicians in Canada have also supported the embassy move, including federal party leadership candidate Kellie Leitch. She made the promise as part of her leadership bid earlier this year.

Former Conservative foreign affairs minister John Baird attracted criticism in 2013 when he met a high-ranking Israeli politician in her office in East Jerusalem; that half of the city was captured by Israel in 1967.

With files from The Associated Press

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