
A second Palestinian was killed in Gaza Friday in clashes with Israeli forces sparked by President Donald Trump's plans to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, the health ministry in the enclave said.

A statement from Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra announced the death of 'Maher Atallah, 54, in the northern Gaza Strip who was injured in clashes this evening'.

Earlier health ministry in Gaza confirmed 30-year-old man was killed by Israeli gunfire, the first death of a protester since Trump's dramatic midweek announcement.

Large crowds of worshippers across the Muslim world staged anti-U.S. marches Friday, some stomping on posters of Donald Trump or burning American flags in the largest outpouring of anger yet at the U.S. president's recognition of bitterly contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

A wounded baby waits for treatment at Indonesia hospital after Israel carried out airstikes in Beit Lahia, Gaza

Residents of Beit Lahia wait in the street. The Palestinian health ministry said at least 15 people were injured the air strikes, which were in retaliation for rocket attacks on Israel

A rocket fire from the Gaza Strip was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, the Israeli army said in a statement adding that 'no injuries were reported'.

Israeli warplanes have struck Hamas military targets in the Gaza Strip in retaliation. Shortly after the air strikes, a third rocket hit the Israeli town of Sderot, damaging vehicles.

The Palestinian health ministry said at least 15 people were injured the air strikes, which followed a day of violent clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces

Protesters also launched stones at Israeli troops, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets while huge crowds rallied outside Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque, a flashpoint site in the holy city.

Footage has appeared on Palestinian news outlets claiming to show a father kissing his dead son farewell after he was shot by Israeli soldiers. MailOnline is not able to verify the clip

The violence on the West Bank and Gaza has so far resulted in 767 injuries of which 61 were a result of live ammunition, 200 from rubber bullets, 479 from teargas and 27 other, the Red Crescent said.

Footage later appeared on Palestinian news outlets claiming to show a father kissing his dead son farewell after he was shot by Israeli soldiers. MailOnline is not able to verify the clip.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, troops sent in a jeep armed with a multi-grenade tear gas launcher that rained projectiles down on masked protesters.

Israel's army, however, confirmed it had shot two people along the border, accusing them of being 'main instigators' of 'violent riots'.

The US ambassador to the UN said Mr Trump knew his decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital would raise 'questions and concerns' but took it to advance peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Nikki Haley told the meeting that the US is more committed to peace 'than we've ever been before - and we believe we might be closer to that goal than ever before'.

As tens of thousands took to the streets around the world today, protesters burnt effigies of Donald Trump in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia while there were chants of 'death to America' during a rally in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Israel's U.N. ambassador is urging all nations to follow the United States and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Danny Danon told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council Friday on President Donald Trump's announcement that 'recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital is a critical and necessary step for peace.'

But joint statement by permanent representatives to the UN from the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Sweden said: 'We disagree with the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and to begin preparation to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It is not in line with Security Council resolutions and is unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region.

'In line with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions ... we consider East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.'

Thousands also marched in Turkey as well as in Afghanistan, Jordan, Pakistan, Somalia and Egypt, where campaigners vowed to 'sacrifice our blood and souls for Palestine'.

And on Friday evening the protests had spread to Europe and their were major demonstrations in major capital cities including London, Berlin and Brussels.

A masked Palestinian woman gestures during clashes with Israeli troops at an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank city of Ramallah after Friday prayers today. Protests have taken place around the world against Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel

Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in Jerusalem (pictured) today while there were also confrontations in the West Bank cities of Hebron, Bethlehem and Ramallah in the wake of Donald Trump's new stance on Jerusalem

A protester jumps over the burning effigy of US President Donald Trump during an anti-US and Israeli protest in Peshawar, Pakistan, today

Furious campaigners are pictured torching a US flag during protests in Kabul, Afghanistan after Friday prayers this morning

Kashmiri Shitte Muslims burnt an effigy of Donald Trump as they marched through the streets of Srinagar this morning

This was the scene in Bethlehem today as Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops on the second day of unrest in the town

A Palestinian, Mahmoud al-Masri, 30, has been shot dead by the Israeli army in Gaza - the first person killed in clashes over Trump's planned embassy move. This was the scene along a Gaza border fence today as clashes erupted

Applause: Rabbi Meir Soloveichik led the audience in applause for Trump over his decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Also on the podium was Holocaust survivor Louise Lawrence-Israels

'Jerusalem!' Trump was cheered as he entered the East Room and when he started his speech, said 'there were a lot of very happy people' before saying 'Jerusalem'

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said today that plans to move America's embassy to Jerusalem are unlikely to be acted on for at least two years.

Tillerson said it will 'take some time' to acquire a site for the embassy, develop building and construction plans, obtain authorisations from the Israeli government and actually build the embassy.

It won't happen this year, and probably not in 2018, he said, adding that Trump's recognition of the city as Israel's capital 'did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem.'

He says the US is making clear that Jerusalem's borders will be left to Israelis and Palestinians to 'negotiate and decide.'

Trump himself had taken a victory lap at a Hanukkah celebration at the White House on Thursday night.

He was cheered by a crowd which included his son-in-law and Middle East peace envoy Jared Kushner as he walked into the East Room, just a day after his declaration which has caused widespread protests in the Middle East.

'I know for a fact there are a lot of happy people in this room,' he exulted, adding: 'Jerusalem!'

However, Trump's announcement has inflamed tensions in the region.

Yesterday, the Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, called for a new 'intifada', or uprising, and three missiles were fired last night from the coastal territory into Israel.

A wounded Palestinian is carried to safety by fellow protesters after being injured during violent clashes with Israeli forces near a border fence east of Gaza City today

Violence: Debris was torched and protesters hurled rocks as protesters took to the streets of Bethlehem in the wake of Trump's announcement

Palestinian protestors throw stones towards Israeli security forces at Hawara checkpoint, south of the West Bank city of Nablus today

Flashpoint: Israeli forces used power jets to control and disperse crowds in Bethlehem following Friday prayers this morning

Counter attack: Israeli security forces used tear gas to disperse crowds as violence broke out in Ramallah today

Line of fire: A Palestinian man prepares to hurl a rock towards police officers during a day of unrest in the West Bank town of Bethlehem today

Protesters torched tyres and debris to create road blocks as protests took place in the West Bank town of Bethlehem today

How first 'intifada' erupted almost exactly 30 years ago Thirty years ago, on December 9, 1987, the first intifada or popular Palestinian uprising broke out, inflaming the occupied territories for six years. Deadly accident sparks uprising On December 8, 1987, four Palestinians from the Gaza Strip's Jabaliya refugee camp are crushed to death by an Israeli lorry. The accident sparks violent clashes between the Israeli army and Palestinian demonstrators in eight camps the next day as the victims are buried. It is the start of the first intifada, largely based on stone-throwing, which spreads like wildfire throughout the occupied territories. Iron fist Inhabitants of the Palestinian territories, under Israeli control since the Six-Day War in 1967, have been submitted since August 1985 to the 'iron fist' policy of Defence Minister Yitzhak Rabin, seeking to end any show of resistance. Surprised by the extent of the uprising, Rabin first gives the order to 'break the bones' of the Palestinian demonstrators, before going on the acknowledge that there is no military solution to the intifada. Youths, some as young as 10, use their familiarity with the terrain to battle Israeli soldiers. Troops who have not been trained for such conflicts respond to stones and petrol bombs with fire from automatic weapons. For the first time since the Arab-Israeli conflict erupted 40 years earlier, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, around one and a half million people, engage in open conflict with Israel. Israel accuses Syria, Iran and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) of fomenting the violence. In fact, the intifada is a popular movement born of Palestinian frustration at two decades of occupation, and PLO leaders exiled in Tunis are among those taken by surprise. More than 1,200 Palestinians killed On September 13, 1993, the Oslo Accords are signed in Washington by Israel and the PLO, granting Palestinians limited autonomy over the territories where they live. The signature leads to the historic handshake between Rabin, now prime minister, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. On September 24, the PLO orders militants to stop attacking Israeli troops. In six years, 1,258 Palestinians have been killed by soldiers or Jewish settlers, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian sources. Most of the casualties, of whom nearly a quarter were under 16, were killed when Israeli troops broke up demonstrations. Around 150 Israelis are killed, for the most part later in the uprising when it intensifies under the direction of Islamists from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad organisation. Rabin says in 1994 that between 120,000 and 140,000 people passed through Israeli prisons during the intifada. Rabin is assassinated a year later by a Jewish extremist opposed to the peace process. The second intifada erupts when right-wing Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon pays a provocative visit to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in occupied east Jerusalem on September 28, 2000. The Israeli army was to reoccupy much of the West Bank, before launching a vast offensive in 2002. In 2005, it withdrew its last soldier from Gaza under a unilateral disengagement. Advertisement

Two fell short and the third caused no damage, the Israeli military said, and warplanes and tanks were scrambled in response, striking two sites used by Hamas terrorises in Gaza.

On the West Bank, the more moderate Palestinian Authority ordered a general strike.

Schools, universities and shops in Arab areas of Jerusalem were closed amid expectations that thousands of young people would take to the streets in anger today to battle soldiers and police.

This morning, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital by the United States runs counter to common sense.

'This announcement runs counter to common sense,' Lavrov told a news conference in Vienna.

French President Emmanuel Macron has appealed for calm in the region.

BRITAIN: Furious protesters gathered outside the US Embassy in London to demonstrate against President Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital

BRITAIN: The anger at President Trump's decision reached the West and just hours after violent clashes in the Middle East police and stewards held back protesters in London

BRITAIN: Demonstrators outside the US Embassy in London waved placards reading 'No to Trump, No to War' and 'Free Palestine'

BRITAIN: Outside the US Embassy in London demonstrators, including children, gathered with anti-Trump placards as police tried to prevent trouble from flaring

BRITAIN: Police were called to the US Embassy in London after demonstrators gathered as part of a global movement to show anger against President Trump's decision on Jerusalem

BRITAIN: Demonstrators held placards from the Stop the War coalition and the Palestine Campaign during protests outside the US Embassy in London

GREECE: The Day of Rage saw protesters take to the streets of Athens. Demonstrators marched on the streets of the Greek capital to show their dismay with President Trump

BELGIUM: Protesters covering their faces set fire to a US flag during demonstrations in Brussels. Several European countries have seen people take to the streets to show their anger at President Trump

GERMANY: Protesters gathered in front of the Brandenburg Gate, near to the US Embassy in Berlin, in a show of anger towards President Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel

GERMANY: Protesters waved Palestinian flags in defiance at President Trump. Police wearing riot gear held crowds back as hundreds gathered in Berlin

GERMANY: The demonstrators gathered at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, near to the US Embassy. Protesters, some covering their faces, made rude hand gestures and waved Palestinian flags

GERMANY: Protesters came face-to-face with police in Berlin as they gathered to show their anger with President Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Jerusalem

JORDAN: Protesters in Amman, the capital of Jordan, held a placard with a Swastika emblazoned on the face on President Trump, along with the slogan: 'Trump = The Ugly Face Of Nazism'

JORDAN: Thousands took to the streets of Jordan to protest against Donald Trump. In downtown Amman demonstrators marched against the decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel

Israeli forces are pictured arresting a Palestinian man in Jerusalem's Old City today as anger mounted over Trump's decision

Tensions: There were clashes as Israeli border officers were confronted by Palestinians after Friday prayers in Jerusalem's Old City today

Palestinian Muslim worshippers shout slogans during Friday prayer at the al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Jerusalem's Old City today. Israel has deployed hundreds of extra officers ahead of expected clashes today

Israeli forces stand guard in Jerusalem's Old City this morning amid fears of violent protests. Tensions are running high after Trump's dramatic announcement on Wednesday

Royal Malaysian Police are pictured standing guard in front of the US embassy today during a rally held in response to US President Donald J.Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as capital of Israel

Anger: Muslim men burn Israeli and US flags during a protest against Trump's decision in Banda Aceh, Indonesia today

Protesters hold placards during a demonstration against Trump's decision at Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Aceh, Indonesia today

Protesters in Kuala Lumpur burn an effigy of US president Donald Trump during a rally held in response to his decision to recognise Jerusalem as capital of Israel

Protestors from Bangladeshi Islamic organisations use their sandals to strike a photo of Trump during a protest rally in Dhaka today

Kashmiri Muslim protesters hold a burning sketch of U.S. President Donald Trump during a protest in Budgam, southwest of Srinagar, India

Speaking at a meeting to discuss Lebanon, Macron said Trump's decision should not 'add to the instability of the region. I'm issuing a call for calm and responsibility by everyone which is essential for the efforts we are undertaking here.'

As so-called 'day of rage' protests took place in Muslim countries around the world, thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters marched after Friday prayers in Istanbul this morning.

Chanting slogans including 'Jerusalem is ours and will remain so!' and 'down with America, down with Israel', the protesters marched after prayers at the Ottoman Fatih mosque in the centre of Istanbul, the correspondent added. Other protests were planned elsewhere in Istanbul and across Turkey on Friday.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken a strong line against the move and called an emergency summit meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on December 13 in Istanbul.

Last year, Turkey and Israel ended a rift triggered by Israel's storming in 2010 of a Gaza-bound ship that left 10 Turkish activists dead and led to a downgrading of diplomatic ties.

Palestinians have clashed with Israeli troops across the West Bank to protest against US President Donald Trump's recognition of contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital. This was the scene in Gaza City today

On Friday, clashes erupted after Palestinians poured out of mosques after midday prayers, the highlight of the Muslim religious week

A 'day of rage' today is expected to erupt in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza today after Donald Trump officially recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital. This was the scene as protests turned violent in Bethlehem on Thursday. This was the scene as men threw rocks at police in Nablus, West Bank today

Israeli forces scuffle with Palestinians in Jerusalem's Old City.Israel deployed hundreds of additional police officers following Palestinian calls for protests

Erab Fukaha, a spokeswoman for the Red Crescent paramedics, said 12 Palestinians were hurt by rubber-coated steel pellets and one by live fire

Hundreds took to the streets of Cairo in Egypt today to support Palestinians after Trump's Wednesday announcement

Supporters of Islamic political party Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam Nazariati, stamp on a US flag during a protest in Quetta, Pakistan, today

Muslim men burn an effigy of US President Donald Trump in another 'day of rage' protest in Peshawar, the capital of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The two sides have since stepped up cooperation, particularly in energy, but Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, is still often bitterly critical of Israeli policy.

Earlier today, Muslims in Indonesia and Malaysia protested outside the U.S. embassies.

In Kuala Lumpur, more than 1,000 protesters led by Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin marched from a nearby mosque after Friday prayers to the U.S. Embassy, halting traffic as they chanted 'Long live Islam' and 'Destroy Zionists.' Many carried banners, some of which said 'Free Palestine' and 'Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine.'

Khairy addressed Trump in a speech after handing a protest note to an embassy official, saying 'Mr President, this is an illegal announcement. Jerusalem is an occupied territory. You must not even set foot in Jerusalem. ... The world will rise against the United States.'

'Trump has to understand that Jerusalem is not his to give and the decision for whatever status of Jerusalem should not come from America,' said Ulya Aqamah bin Husamudin, a leader of the political party BERSATU.

Nurul Hidayah Mesari, a student, compared Jerusalem to the holy Muslim cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, saying 'it's as if those places were occupied as well, that's our feeling.'

Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capitol on Wednesday and launched a process to move the U.S. embassy there, casting his decision as an act of political courage

An effigy of Trump was held aloft in Kuala Lumpur today and fitted with a t-shirt saying 'I am demon Trump'

In Jakarta, Muslim men burned a tyre and staged a rally as they hit out at Trump's decision

Kashmiri Muslims hold placards and a photograph of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a protest this morning against Donald Trump's new stance on Jerusalem

In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, more than 300 protesters shouted 'Go to hell Israel!' and called on Trump to stop 'blind support' for the Jewish state. Neither Malaysia nor Indonesia has diplomatic ties with Israel and both are strong supporters of Palestinians.

The protesters marched from mosques to the heavily guarded U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, waving Palestinian and Indonesian flags. They burned tires near the embassy and photos of Trump and U.S. and Israeli flags in a similar rally in the cities of Banda Aceh and Makassar. Another protest was held in Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city.

Hundreds of Muslim Kashmiris also marched at several places in the main city of Srinagar and other parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir, chanting slogans 'Down with America' and 'Down with Israel.' They burned U.S. and Israeli flags, while authorities imposed a curfew in old parts of Srinagar and disallowed Friday prayers at the city's main mosque for fear protests could morph into violent anti-India rallies.

Kashmiri leaders have called Trump's move 'anti-Muslim.'

It follows widespread unrest across the region yesterday with violence flaring at multiple points and angry demonstrators in Gaza burning Israeli and American flags and images of Mr Trump.

In Bethlehem, on the West Bank, tear gas was fired to dispel rioters along streets decorated with Christmas lights.

Thousands joined a rally in Istanbul, Turkey today outside a city mosque to support Palestinians after Trump's Jerusalem announcement

Thousands of protesters, some holding Palestinian and Turkish flags march in the streets after Friday prayers in Istanbul

On the outskirts of the Palestinian city of Ramallah yesterday, Israeli police fired tear gas and stun grenades at crowds of young men who were throwing stones and burning tyres.

Hundreds of Palestinians also gathered at the plaza outside the Damascus Gate entrance to Jerusalem's Old City, chanting 'Jerusalem is Arab, Jerusalem is Palestinian', and 'Trump, Trump, you will see, Palestine will be free'.

The demonstrators clashed frequently with police as officers attempted to clear them from the plaza.

Three Palestinians were arrested in Jerusalem and more than 100 injured elsewhere as concerns mounted that further unrest was planned for today after Friday prayers, traditionally a febrile time in the region.

Why is Jerusalem important, what makes Donald Trump's intervention so toxic and does anyone else recognise the city as Israel's capital?: SAM GREENHILL explores why today's announcement is so incendiary

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 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.

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 King of Babylon. The compound includes Islamic shrines the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.