The United Nations General Assembly voted 128-9 to reject US President Donald Trump`s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A General Assembly resolution was spearheaded by Egypt and co-sponsored by Pakistan. They termed any attempts to alter the status of Jerusalem as `null and void`. The US President, before voting, threatened to cut off aid money to all those countries that would resist the US. In other words the US said, ‘either you are with us or against us’, the famous US stance after 9/11.

Before that leaders of the Islamic countries gathered at Istanbul as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan convened an emergency summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) seeking a tough response to the recognition by US President Donald Trump of Jerusalem as Israel`s capital. In this summit they urged the world to recognise occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine and declared President Trump`s decision `null and void legally`. They termed the move a deliberate effort to undermine all peace efforts that would increase extremism and terrorism and were agreed that it was in fact an announcement of the US administration`s withdrawal from its role as sponsor of peace in the Middle East. Mr Erdogan made it clear that the US would no more be considered as a mediator.

The US announcement sparked Palestinian protests and clashes as fears grew of fresh bloodshed in the region. It prompted a universal diplomatic backlash, with fresh warnings from Turkey, the European Union and Russia. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was very happy and praised My Trump by saying that his name would now be remembered with Jerusalem`s long history. He urged the world to follow his lead.

With all this development, one thing is for sure that President Trump is a man who, in a very short span of time, has earned a reputation of non-visionary leader and lacks statesmanship qualities. He has overshadowed the White House and decades-long policies of the US with his controversial statements and destructive decisions which have jeopardise the international peace and order. These include his intention to torpedo the widely acclaimed Iran nuclear deal, as well as threatening to `totally destroy` North Korea from the floor of the UN General Assembly. And the most recently he has added another dubious feather to his cap by recognising Jerusalem as Israel`s capital and also by threating to the UN and the countries going against the US in last General Assembly session.

The US President’s controversial recognition is the negation of America’s fifty years old policy regarding the holy city. It means that Mr Trump has no regard for global opinion and about an internationally accepted issue. It also represents that the US is legitimising the five decades of Israeli occupation. As per the 1993 peace accords, the final status of Jerusalem was to be resolved mutually. That agreement, it seems, no longer holds.

In consequence, the leading Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, have not only slammed the decision but have urged Palestinians to abandon peace efforts and launch a new uprising against Israel. The world leaders pointed out that it will hinder the prospects of peace in the region and achieving the two-state solution. The development also undermined the role of the US as a peace broker in the region.

Now the question is that what will happen next? While Israeli leaders are expressing satisfaction and gratitude for Mr Trump over the move, the people living in the occupied territories are fuming with anger. The reckless decision will deepens Palestinian despair and will give birth to new uprising. Increase in violence can also be well predicted as the voices for third intifada are heard. It is because after being humiliated by Israel for decades and treated in a subhuman manner, now the Palestinians are seeing a city central to their culture and identity being snatched away from them. While there is not much room for optimism, perhaps the global community can pressure the US to revisit this highly unwise and dangerous move.

Recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is totally baseless because Israel is not like other nations. It founded and imposed itself on a land that was not its own. There was no existence of Israel or a Jewish state before 1948. So Mr Trump’s claim that Israel has the right to determine its own capital without consideration to the rights of the people living there is totally nonsense. Jerusalem is a sacred city to Jews, Christians and Muslims; and during Christian and Muslim rule followers of all three faiths lived and worshipped freely, unlike what has been happening under Zionist rule.

The Palestine conflict can never be resolved by sidelining and snubbing the people who are living there for centuries. Palestinians are the real dweller and owner of this land. It isn’t only a matter of the Muslims, but one of universal human rights and dignity. The Palestine problem cannot be solved through bullying or intimidation; unless the rights of the Palestinians are recognised and secured. If American President can’t bring peace in the region then it should also not create the conditions for further bloodshed.

With all this development, one thing is for sure that President Trump is a man who, in a very short span of time, has earned a reputation of non-visionary leader and lacks statesmanship qualities.