President Donald Trump has announced that the US will recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel - a decision Muslim leaders have warned will inflame the region.

Trump's move plunges the United States into a decades-long dispute over a city considered holy by Jews, Muslims and Christians, and flies in the face of warnings from US allies and enemies across the Middle East.

But Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the move as 'historic' and said any peace deal with the Palestinians must concede that Jerusalem is Israel's capital.

He also urged other countries to follow the US's move, which he called a 'courageous and just decision'.

Palestinian terrorist group Hamas warned the announcement 'opens the gates of hell on US interests in the region'.

It also called on Arab and Islamic states to 'cut off economic and political ties with the US embassy and expel American ambassadors to cripple' the move.

The PLO - Palestine Liberation Organisation - said it destroys the two-state solution, while Iran said it would incite a 'new intifada'.

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President Macron branded the decision 'regrettable', calling for efforts to 'avoid violence at all costs'. Pictured: Protests in Istanbul after the announcement tonight

A woman chants slogans during a sit-in in the Bourj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon

The status of Jerusalem - home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions - has been one of the thorniest issues in long-running Mideast peace efforts. Pictured: Protesters in Gaza City tonight

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) hailed the move as 'historic' and said any peace deal with the Palestinians must concede that Jerusalem is Israel's capital

Jordan condemned the recognition as amounting to a violation of international law and the UN charter. Pictured: Pro-Palestinian protesters in Istanbul tonight

Palestinian protestors burn tires as they wave Palestinian flags and pictures of late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat during a protest at the main Square in Gaza City

A protester chants slogans during a demonstration against the US and Israel in front of the US consulate in Istanbul

The secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation said US President Trump's decision destroys any hopes for a two-state solution to the conflict. Pictured: Protests in Istanbul tonight

Palestinian protesters burn the US flag during a protest against US President Donald Trump in Gaza City

Protesters light flares as they participate in a demonstration outside the US Consulate in Istanbul

In a frantic series of calls, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the European Union, France, Germany and Turkey all warned Trump against the move. Pictured: Trump making the speech today

Trump's move plunges the United States into a decades-long dispute over a city considered holy by Jews, Muslims and Christians, and flies in the face of warnings from US allies and enemies across the Middle East

Palestinian terrorist group Hamas warned the announcement 'opens the gates of hell on US interests in the region'. Pictured: Palestinian protesters burn the American flag and Israeli flag in the city of Gaza City

The Turkish foreign ministry added in a statement that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians can only be solved through the creation of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital. Pictured: Protests in Istanbul

A Turkish government spokesman said the decision was 'irresponsible' and illegal. Pictured: Protesters in Gaza attack the move

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest against the U.S. intention to move its embassy to Jerusalem and to recognize the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, near the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (pictured) said the United States can no longer play the role of peace broker after Trump's decision

Protesters hold banners during the protest against the plan of Jerusalem's recognition at the Jabaliya Refugee Camp in Gaza City

Anger: A man in Istanbul screams in the street after Trump announced the US would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital

Prime Minister Netanyahu afterwards pledged no change to the status quo at Jerusalem's highly sensitive holy sites in the city sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Pictured: Unhappy protesters in Istanbul gather outside the American embassy

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the United States can no longer play the role of peace broker after Trump's decision.

'These deplorable and unacceptable measures deliberately undermine all peace efforts,' Abbas said in a speech after Trump's announcement.

He said Trump's move amounted to 'an announcement of US withdrawal from playing the role it has been playing in the past decade in sponsoring the peace process.'

Abbas also referred to Jerusalem as the 'the eternal capital of the state of Palestine' and said Trump's move was 'legally null'.

But the Czech Republic released a statement after Trump's speech saying they recognise part of Jerusalem - the west of the city - as the Israeli capital.

The Central European state also said it sees Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it can 'start considering moving of the Czech embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem only based on results of negotiations with key partners in the region and in the world.'

Jerusalem Q&A What is the status of Jerusalem? Israel set up its parliament in West Jerusalem when the state of Israel was proclaimed in 1948. The move followed the United Nations' vote to partition Palestine on the basis of the British pledge known as the Balfour Declaration that paved the way for a homeland for the Jewish people. Israel occupied 78 per cent of the land, with the remaining 22 per cent split between Gaza and the West Bank. Then, in 1967, during the Six-Day Arab-Israeli war, Israel annexed Arab-controlled East Jerusalem, including the Old City. Israel has claimed ever since that both parts of the city are its 'undivided' capital. However, Palestinians want East Jerusalem as their capital. Most countries, including Britain, do not recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and keep their embassies in Tel Aviv. Why is Jerusalem so important to both sides? Chiefly because of its religious history. The Temple Mount in the Old City is the most sacred place in Judaism — the site of Solomon's Temple said to have housed the Ark of the Covenant and destroyed in 586 BC by the King of Babylon. The site is also the third holiest shrine in Islam, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif ('Noble Sanctuary'). It was the scene of Prophet Muhammad's 'Night Journey' ascension from Earth to Heaven in 621. The compound includes Islamic shrines the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The city is also sacred to Christians — Jesus attended a temple in the Old City and was crucified on a hill outside its walls. But it also has hugely important implications for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. What has Donald Trump done and why is his intervention so toxic? Until now, peacemakers have pursued the strategy that Jerusalem would be part of an overall negotiated settlement, with its status decided in the latter stages of peace talks, with agreement on both sides. But if America jumps to a conclusion on the city's status now — and takes Israel's side — many fear it will undermine the chances of a peace deal. It could also damage America's position as an 'honest broker' between the two sides. It does not take much to spark violence in the Middle East. In 2000, the Second Intifada — two bloody years of Palestinian suicide bombings and Israeli military killings — started after a visit by the then leader of the Israeli opposition, Ariel Sharon, to the Old City site. How can the status of Jerusalem be peacefully resolved? Jerusalem is described as the most intractable part of the world's most intractable conflict. But one of the main planks of the peace process is a two-state solution — in which Jerusalem would serve as capital of both states: East Jerusalem for Palestine, West Jerusalem for Israel. About a third of the people living in Jerusalem are Palestinians. An uneasy co-existence is lived out day-to-day, under the watchful eyes of clusters of armed Israeli police. Though there is generally free movement around the divided capital, Israeli security forces set up checkpoints to seal off Palestinian neighbourhoods in times of tension, such as a wave of stabbings in 2015. In 1967, during the Six-Day Arab-Israeli war (pictured), Israel annexed Arab-controlled East Jerusalem, including the Old City. Israel has claimed ever since that both parts of the city are its 'undivided' capital Since 1967, Israel has built a dozen settlements, home to about 200,000 Jews, in East Jerusalem. These are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. Jerusalem is governed by a mayor and city council whose members are elected to four-year terms. Palestinian Arabs living in East Jerusalem have the right to vote in Israeli elections, but most refuse to do so. How does Trump justify moving the U.S. embassy? The U.S. embassy is currently in Tel Aviv. To move it to Jerusalem would be a powerfully symbolic and inflammatory gesture in support of Israel and in defiance of Palestinians. But technically Trump has a legal framework: in 1995, amid lobbying from pro-Israel Americans, the Republican-controlled Congress passed a law, the Jerusalem Embassy Act, which instructs the President to move the embassy. But all Presidents since Bill Clinton have signed a waiver every six months to prevent that happening. So why has he done this now? Mr Trump's move seems driven not by diplomatic calculations, but by a campaign promise and his current low ratings. In 2016, he appealed to Christian evangelicals and ardently pro-Israel American Jews by vowing to move the embassy. His pledge was extremely popular with these voters, including casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who donated $25 million to the Trump cause. Mr Adelson expressed anger when Mr Trump signed the waiver in June to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv. Advisers said this week Mr Trump was making good on his promise. Why are all the Arab countries so hostile to the move? Opinion polls show that at least 90 per cent of Arabs view Israel as their main enemy. So no Arab regime can risk provoking internal political upheaval by appearing to side with the U.S. Mr Trump could now have catastrophically undermined his own Middle East strategy of trying to forge peace — not just between Israel and Palestinians, but also between Israel and Saudi Arabia's Sunni Muslims. Pictured: Israeli soldiers celebrate outside the Dome of the Rock after the capture of Old Jerusalem from the Jordanians He wants the Saudis to take on and curb the growing influence of Iran's Shia Muslims — the Sunni's mortal enemies — and their allies in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The Saudis could now be forced to abandon their gradual clandestine move towards open acceptance of the Jewish state. Do other countries recognise Jerusalem as the capital? The world — including China — is virtually united in not recognising Israel's claim to Jerusalem as its undivided capital. One exception is the Pacific island of Vanuatu, which recognised it in May this year. Its late president, Baldwin Lonsdale, was an evangelical Christian who was described as having 'a strong connection to the Jewish people and to Israel'. Taiwan also considers Jerusalem as Israel's capital. However, Israel does not even recognise Taiwan as a country. Russia's position is slightly ambiguous but seems to leave room for the city to be Israel's capital in the event of a peace deal. Advertisement

Palestinian secular and Islamist factions called a general strike and midday rallies to protest the announcement.

Answering the call to strike, the Palestinian education ministry declared a day off and urged teachers as well as high school and university students to take part in the planned rallies in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Palestinian areas in Jerusalem.

The United Nations Security Council is likely to meet on Friday at the request of eight states on the 15-member body over the decision.

The request for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to publicly brief the Security Council meeting was made by France, Bolivia, Egypt, Italy, Senegal, Sweden, Britain and Uruguay, said diplomats.

French president Emmanuel Macron, though, agreed with the UN in saying the status of Jerusalem must be determined during negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis.

Palestinian demonstrators burn the US flag in Bethlehem's Manger Square in protest to the announcement

Protestors shout slogans against US President Donald Trump and burn an Israeli flag during a demonstration against the Jewish state in Cairo, Egypt

Protesters wave Palestinian flags during a demonstration against the US and Israel in front of the US consulate in Istanbul

Flares burn in the background as protesters march outside the US consulate in Istanbul, Turkey tonight

Protesters in Bethlehem burn pictures of Donald Trump as they protest against his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel

He also called for calm from all sides and said violence must be avoided.

President Macron branded the decision 'regrettable', calling for efforts to 'avoid violence at all costs'.

Addressing a press conference during a state visit to Algeria, Macron affirmed 'the attachment of France and Europe to the two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security within internationally recognised borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of the two states.

'France is ready with its partners to take all necessary initiatives in this direction.'

A Turkish government spokesman said the decision was 'irresponsible' and illegal.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Trump's recognition doesn't automatically make Jerusalem the capital of Israel.

Cavusoglu said Wednesday in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, that 'with one announcement by a country, Jerusalem cannot be the capital of Israel.'

Cavusoglu adds, 'You can't come out and say, `I'm a great power, I can do what I want.'

'There can be no understanding under which one can say I made such an announcement and it will become reality,' Cavusoglu insists.

He says 'the whole world opposes it and it is wrong.'

Cavusoglu also describes Trump's move as a 'dangerous step,' adding, 'we would have wished that this decision were never taken.'

Turkey said earlier the move will push the region and the world into 'a fire with no end in sight'.

The Turkish foreign ministry added in a statement that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians can only be solved through the creation of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.

It also called on Arab and Islamic states to 'cut off economic and political ties with the US embassy and expel American ambassadors to cripple' the move. Pictured: Protesters in Istanbul

French president Emmanuel Macron agreed with the UN in saying the status of Jerusalem must be determined during negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. Pictured: Protesters in Gaza City react to the news

In the speech at the White House tonight, Trump said his administration would begin a process of moving the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which is expected to take years. Pictured: Protesters in Gaza

Criticism poured in from Tehran and Ankara to war-ravaged Syria and Pope Francis, reflecting the anxiety surrounding the announcement, which upends decades of US policy. Pictured: Palestinian women shout slogans during a protest in Gaza City

It warned that the decision by Trump will have 'negative reflections on the peace and stability in the region' and risks 'completely destroying the ground for peace'.

'We call on the US administration to reconsider this faulty decision which may result in highly negative outcomes,' it added.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel 'does not support' the decision by President Trump, her spokesman said.

The German government 'does not support this position because the status of Jerusalem can only be negotiated within the framework of a two-state solution,' spokesman Steffen Seibert wrote on Twitter.

Criticism poured in from Tehran and Ankara to war-ravaged Syria and Pope Francis, reflecting the anxiety surrounding the announcement, which upends decades of US policy.

In a frantic series of calls, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the European Union, France, Germany and Turkey all warned Trump against the move.

In the speech at the White House tonight, Trump said his administration would begin a process of moving the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which is expected to take years.

The status of Jerusalem - home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions - has been one of the thorniest issues in long-running Mideast peace efforts.

'I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,' Trump said. 'While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.'

'I think it's long overdue. Many presidents have said they want to do something and they didn't do it,' Trump said at a cabinet meeting ahead of his announcement.

He added: 'Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital.

'Acknowledging this as a fact is a necessary condition for achieving peace,' added the US leader, declaring: 'It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.'

'This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do.'

Jordan condemned the recognition as amounting to a violation of international law and the UN charter.

'The decision of the American president to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the transfer of the US embassy to this city constitutes a violation of decisions of international law and the United Nations charter,' said government spokesman Mohammed Momani.

But Pope Francis voiced 'deep concern' over Trump's decision, and called for all to honour United Nations resolutions on the city, which is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.

'Declaring Jerusalem a capital is disregarding history and the truths in the region, it is a big injustice/cruelty, shortsightedness, foolishness/madness, it is plunging the region and the world into a fire with no end in sight,' Turkish deputy prime minister Bekir Bozdag said on Twitter.

More opprobrium: Turkey's president Recey Tayyip Erdogan, who met King Abdullah of Jordan on Tuesday, had called the move on Jerusalem a 'red line'. His spokesman on Wednesday said it was a 'grave mistake that will virtually eliminate the fragile Middle East peace process'.

A labourer hangs a U.S. national flag on a lamp post along a street where the U.S. consulate in located in Jerusalem

An Ultra Orthodox Jewish man holds a shofar (ram's horn) with the golden Dome of the Rock Islamic shrine behind

Pictured: US and Israeli national flags projected on the wall of Jerusalem's Old City in Jerusalem

'I call on everyone to act logically, respect the agreements they signed and behave reasonably, avoid risking world peace for domestic politics or other reasons,' he said.

Prime Minister Netanyahu afterwards pledged no change to the status quo at Jerusalem's highly sensitive holy sites in the city sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres implicitly criticized President Trump's decision, warning that the city's status must be resolved through direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

'From day one as secretary-general of the United-Nations, I have consistently spoken out against any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians,' Guterres said, immediately after the US leader's announcement.

'Jerusalem is a final status issue that must be resolved through direct negotiations between the two parties on the basis of the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, taking into account the legitimate concerns of both the Palestinian and the Israeli sides,' Guterres said.

The secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation said US President Trump's decision destroys any hopes for a two-state solution to the conflict.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres implicitly criticized President Trump's decision, warning that the city's status must be resolved through direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Pictured: Trump speaking to reporters tonight

'He destroyed the two-state solution,' Saeb Erekat, who long served as the Palestinians top negotiator, told journalists after Trump's speech.

Trump 'disqualified his country from any role whatsoever' in the peace process, he said.

'As a chief Palestinian negotiator, how can I sit with these people if they dictate on me the future of Jerusalem as Israel's capital,' he added.

Erekat warned that 'it is really throwing the whole region into chaos, international chaos.'

British Prime Minister Theresa May disagrees with the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel because it is unlikely to help efforts to bring peace to the region, her spokesman said.

'We disagree with the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital before a final status agreement,' the spokesman said. 'We believe it is unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region.'

Iran 'seriously condemns' the decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and its recognition of the city as Israel's capital, read a statement on Wednesday from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs carried by state media.

The move violates international resolutions, the statement said.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier that the United States was trying to destabilize the region and start a war to protect Israel's security.

Protesters spray paints 'Free Palestine' on a wall outside the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey tonight

Demonstrators pray during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, near the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul

The U.S. action will 'incite Muslims and inflame a new intifada and encourage extremism and violent behavior for which the responsibility will lie with (the United States) and the Zionist regime (Israel),' the foreign ministry statement said.

The statement also called on the international community to pressure the United States not to go through with the embassy move or the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

'The Islamic Republic of Iran has reiterated that the most important reason for the falling apart of stability and security in the Middle East is the continued occupation and the biased and unequivocal support of the American government for the Zionist regime,' the statement said.

'And the deprivation of the oppressed Palestinian people from their primary rights in forming an independent Palestinian government with the noble Quds as its capital,' it said, using the Arabic name for Jerusalem.

The State Department will immediately act on President Donald Trump's order to prepare to relocate the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday.

'The State Department will immediately begin the process to implement this decision by starting the preparations to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,' Tillerson said in a statement shortly after Trump's landmark announcement.

Australia's foreign minister says she is concerned that the U.S. decision to move its Israel embassy to Jerusalem will increase tensions with the Palestinians.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop tells the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she's 'concerned by any unilateral action by either side which could add to tensions.'

She adds: 'The Australian government remains committed and optimistic that the way to achieve enduring peace between the Israelis and Palestinians is a negotiated two-state solution.'

She says Australia doesn't intend to shift its embassy from Tel Aviv.

Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has sparked warnings that it could unleash more violence in the Middle East and Tillerson said his department had taken measures to protect American nationals in the region.

'The safety of Americans is the State Department's highest priority, and in concert with other federal agencies, we've implemented robust security plans to protect the safety of Americans in affected regions,' said Tillerson, who is on a visit to Germany.

Although Trump's decision has been met with widespread criticism in the region, the top US diplomat said that the US president had only acted after widespread consultation with allies.

'We have consulted with many friends, partners, and allies in advance of the president making his decision,' he said.

'We firmly believe there is an opportunity for a lasting peace,' he added.

The two-state solution has long been the basis of international peace efforts for the conflict.

Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians see the eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state.

'I think tonight he is strengthening the forces of extremists in this region as no one has done before,' Erekat said, referring to Trump.

Hundreds of Palestinians, meanwhile, burned US and Israeli flags as well as pictures of Trump in the Gaza Strip, while relatively small clashes erupted near the West Bank city of Hebron and a refugee camp near Bethlehem.

Demonstrators chanted 'Death to America', 'Death to Israel' and 'Down with Trump' during the protests.

Palestinian leaders previously warned the move could have dangerous consequences, calling it a 'kiss of death' to the two-state solution.

Palestinians burn posters depicting Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a protest against the US intention to move its embassy to Jerusalem and to recognize the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip

Palestinians burn Israeli and US flags and posters of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during protest against the US intention to move its embassy to Jerusalem and to recognize the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip,

In flames: In Gaza, Palestinians burned the U.S. and Israeli flags as Trump's announcement later on Wednesday was revealed

Israeli border police patrol the alleys of the Old City of Jerusalem on Tuesday ahead of Trump's announcement

'He is declaring war in the Middle East, he is declaring war against 1.5billion Muslims (and) hundreds of millions of Christians that are not going to accept the holy shrines to be totally under the hegemony of Israel,' Manuel Hassassian, the chief Palestinian representative to Britain, told BBC radio.

The announcement brought warnings from leaders in the Middle East and elsewhere that this move could cause violent protests and complicate peace efforts.

Anticipating protests, US government officials and their families were earlier ordered to avoid Jerusalem's Old City and the West Bank.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier the plans were a sign of US 'incompetence and failure', while Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said there was 'no place for new adventurism by global oppressors', according to Mizan, the news site for the Iranian judiciary.

Iran has long supported a number of Palestinian militant groups opposed to Israel.

Islamist terrorist groups such as al Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah have in the past tried to exploit Muslim sensitivities over Jerusalem to stoke anti-Israel and anti-U.S. sentiment.

'Our Palestinian people everywhere will not allow this conspiracy to pass, and their options are open in defending their land and their sacred places,' said Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh.

Palestinians burned a poster of Trump during a protest in Bethlehem, West Bank, on Tuesday in anticipation of the announcement

A child holds a Palestinian flag as he chants slogans during a sit-in in the Bourj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp, in Beirut, Lebanon

Palestinian children hold Palestine flags and pictures of Jerusalem during a protest in Gaza city on Tuesday

A range of world leaders issued further warnings.

Germany and France warned its citizens in Israel and the Palestinian Territories of the risk of unrest.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he reminded Mr Trump in a phone call on Monday that the status of Jerusalem should be determined through negotiations on a two-state solution for the Middle East.

'The French President expressed his concern over the possibility that the United States would unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,' the statement said, after Macron and Trump spoke over the phone.

'Mr Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed that the question of Jerusalem's status had to be dealt with in the framework of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, with the aim in particular to establish two countries, Israel and Palestine, living in peace and security side by side with Jerusalem as capital.'

In the UK Prime Minister Theresa May said she would challenge her country's closest ally.

'I'm intending to speak to President Trump about this matter,' May told MPs. 'Our position has not changed, it has been a long standing one and it is also a very clear one.

'It is that the status of Jerusalem should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately form a shared capital between the Israeli and Palestinian states.'

Contested city: Jerusalem is the holiest city of three religions and until now, never recognized by the U.S. or most other countries as Israel's capital. Trump's move upends what had long been U.S. policy, that recognition would be part of the peace process

In the UK Prime Minister Theresa May said she would challenge the country's closest ally. She urged that Jerusalem should be a shared capital

British foreign minister Boris Johnson, speaking as he arrived for a NATO meeting in Brussels, expressed concern 'because we think that Jerusalem obviously should be part of the final settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, a negotiated settlement

British foreign minister Boris Johnson, speaking as he arrived for a NATO meeting in Brussels, expressed concern 'because we think that Jerusalem obviously should be part of the final settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, a negotiated settlement'.

China warned the plan could fuel tensions in the region and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said 'Muslims must stand united against this major plot.'

Russia, now a key Mideast player, expressed concern about a 'possible deterioration.'

Two leading Lebanese newspapers published front-page rebukes of Trump.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the main pan-Islamic body, in Istanbul on December 13 'to display joint action among Islamic countries' over Jerusalem.

In Brussels Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tried to dampen down the reaction.

'The president is very committed to the Middle East peace process,' Tillerson told reporters at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refrained from commenting on the issue on Wednesday in his first speech since Trump's plan was confirmed.

As well as Netanyahu, Trump spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan's King Abdullah and Saudi King Salman to inform them of his decision.

Jordan and the Palestinians also called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League in Cairo, with a diplomatic source saying it was likely to be convened on Saturday.

'That they claim they want to announce [Jerusalem] as the capital of occupied Palestine is because of their incompetence and failure,' Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said

The Jordanian king 'affirmed that the decision will have serious implications that will undermine efforts to resume the peace process and will provoke Muslims and Christians alike,' said a statement from his office.

Abbas warned Trump of the 'dangerous consequences' that moving the embassy would have for peace efforts and regional stability, Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said.

But Trump assured Abbas that he remained committed to facilitating an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, one U.S. official said.

Although winter rains dampened protests called for East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Hamas-dominated Gaza Strip, few doubted fresh bloodshed now loomed.

Israeli security forces braced for possible unrest but police said the situation in Jerusalem was calm for now.

That could quickly change, given the religious passions that swirl around the Old City, where Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest shrine, abuts the Western Wall prayer plaza, a vestige of two ancient Jewish temples.

THE WORLD REACTS TO TRUMP'S MOVE 'I pray to the Lord that its identity is preserved and strengthened for the benefit of the Holy Land, the Middle East and the whole world and that wisdom and prudence prevail to prevent new elements of tension from being added to a global context already convulsed by so many cruel conflicts.' - Pope Francis 'Jerusalem obviously should be part of the final settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians - a negotiated settlement that we want to see. We have no plans ourselves to move our embassy.' - Boris Johnson, British Foreign Secretary 'Our historical national identity is receiving important expressions every day.' - Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister 'He is declaring war in the Middle East, he is declaring war against 1.5 billion Muslims, hundreds of millions of Christians, that are not going to accept the holy shrines to be totally under the hegemony of Israel.' - Manuel Hassassian, chief Palestinian representative to Britain 'That they claim they want to announce [Jerusalem] as the capital of occupied Palestine is because of their incompetence and failure,' - Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Advertisement

Palestinians mounted two uprisings, or intifadas, against Israeli occupation from 1987 to 1993 then from 2000 to 2005, the latter ignited by a visit by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to the shrine area, known to Jews as Temple Mount.

Violent confrontations also took place in July this year after Israel installed metal detectors at the entrance to the Al Aqsa compound. Four Palestinians and three Israelis were killed, as well as two policemen shot dead by gunmen.

Trump will instruct the State Department to begin the multi-year process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city, US officials said Tuesday.

The mere consideration of Trump changing the status quo sparked a renewed US security warning on Tuesday.

America's consulate in Jerusalem ordered US personnel and their families to avoid visiting Jerusalem's Old City or the West Bank, and urged American citizens in general to avoid places with increased police or military presence.

The US State Department issued a cable to all its diplomatic posts worldwide on Wednesday asking its officials to defer non-essential travel to Israel, Jerusalem and the West Bank until December 20 according to a copy of the cable seen by Reuters.

'Embassy Tel Aviv and Consulate General Jerusalem request that all non-essential visitors defer their travel to Israel, Jerusalem and the West Bank from December 4-December 20, 2017,' said the cable, which did not specify a reason for the request.

It remains unclear, however, when he might take that physical step, which is required by US law but has been waived on national security grounds for more than two decades.

The officials said numerous logistical and security details, as well as site determination and construction, will need to be finalized first.

Because of those issues, the embassy is not likely to move for at least three or four years, presuming there is no future change in US policy.

Trump, as a presidential candidate, repeatedly promised to move the U.S. embassy.

However, U.S. leaders have routinely and unceremoniously delayed such a move since President Bill Clinton signed a law in 1995 stipulating that the United States must relocate its diplomatic presence to Jerusalem unless the commander in chief issues a waiver on national security grounds.