VP Jusuf Kalla: US Embassy Relocation to Jerusalem Worsens Middle East Situation

Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla (media umat)

Jakarta, MINA – Vice President Jusuf Kalla has stated that the US President plan to move the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem will complicate the political situation in the Middle East region, Antara News reported.

“The political risks in the Middle East will be complicated, because the source of the many complications is the conflict between Palestine and Israel,” the vice president said here on Wednesday.

Kalla affirmed that Indonesia’s position clearly disagreed with the US, and Trump did not move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

In addition to muddling the situation in the Middle East, according to Vice President, it will also be difficult for US efforts to mediate in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Trump on Tuesday (5/12) told the leaders of Arab countries about his plan to move the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Several top US officials have previously said that Trump may on Wednesday declare a recognition that Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Israel, but will delay the transfer of embassies from Tel Aviv for six months.

According to US officials, Trump is expected to sign a decree stipulating that the US still retains the embassy in Tel Aviv for another six months, but will seek to speed up the move.

“The Trump Administration will need time to deal with logistical issues such as the absence of an embassy building and secure housing for staff members in Jerusalem,” according to a US official.

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the Middle East war in 1967, then annexed it. The legitimacy of Israel’s move is not recognized by the international community. (T/P2/RS5)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)