The White House has signalled that President Donald Trump may recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a distinction that would likely cause controversy in the region and would reverse the precedent established by his predecessors.

Mr Trump is reportedly considering recognizing Jerusalem as the Jewish nation's capital at the same time has he considers moving the US embassy to Israel there as well. That embassy is currently in Tel Aviv.

If Mr Trump decides to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital, it is widely believed that it could imperil current relationships in the region and damage the President's chances at brokering a peace deal between Israel and Palestine. Instead, the recognition could trigger Palestinian protests, while shelving the long-stalled peace process there.

As Mr Trump and the White House prepares for a potential announcement on the subject, US embassies overseas have reportedly been informing envoys of the potential plan, so that host governments to those embassies might prepare for possible protests. Even so, officials have indicated recently that the plans weren't yet finalised.

The international community has long disagreed over what Jerusalem's legal and diplomatic status should be, and a fix to that has been further debated by legal scholars who have provided different ideas on how to resolve that dispute. The United Nations and the European Union have both proposed or recognized Jerusalem as something of an international site, given its deep history that includes several religious legacies. The United States has historically supported establishing an international regime for the city as well.

The primary dispute over Jerusalem's status revolves around East Jerusalem, which has been disputed since the the 1967 Six-Day War when Israel drove Jordan out of the area. Palestinians have argued that East Jerusalem should stand as their capital for a future independent state. Israel says that all of Jerusalem belongs to them.

Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Show all 22 1 /22 Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump talk as they leave the Army Museum at Les Invalides in Paris AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump arrive for the group photo at the G7 Taormina summit on the island of Sicily in May 2017 Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Mr Trump was pressed on the subject at the G7 summit in Italy Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump gives a speeech at the Warsaw Uprising Monument on Krasinski Square Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May during a ceremony at the NATO headquarters before the start of a summit in Brussels, Belgium Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic is seen to the right of Donald Trump at a Nato summit in Brussels REUTERS Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis meeting with US President Donald J. Trump EPA Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis poses with US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump arrives at Palazzo del Quirinale ahead of the meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella Ufficio Stampa Presidenza della via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is seen during a joint press conference with the Palestinian leader at the presidential palace in the West Bank city of Bethlehem AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meets US President Donald Trump PPO via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with US President Donald Trump prior to the President's departure GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after delivering a speech at the Israel Museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump lay a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance as White House senior advisor Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump watch on during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem accompanied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump takes his seat before his speech to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump look at a display of Saudi modern art at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud take part in a signing ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips King Salman presents Donald Trump with The Collar of Abdulaziz al-Saud Medal at the Royal Court Palace on 20 May AP Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is welcomed by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk on the South Lawn prior to their first foreign trip Getty Images

There are currently about 200,000 Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem, and 370,000 Palestinians there as well. All told, more than 600,000 Jews live in nearly 140 settlements in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Those settlements are considered illegal under international law, a consideration that Israel disputes.

The status of Jerusalem has been so contentious, and so consequential to the region, that efforts to establish peace treaties between Israel and Palestine have been derailed in large part over disagreements over the city. That includes a 2000 attempt in America's Camp David, in which former Israeli Prime MInister Ehud Barak, and then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat were unable to reconcile their differences on territory and Jerusalem as well.