Arab leaders slam US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital

FE Team | Published: April 18, 2018 00:37:20

DHAHRAN: Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz (centre-right), Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah (centre-left), Egyptian President Abdelfattah al-Sisi (right), followed by Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (third from right, behind), arriving to attend the closing ceremony of the "Gulf Shield 1" military drills in the eastern Saudi Arabian region of Dhahran, on the sidelines of the 29th Arab League summit — AFP

DUBAI, Apr 17 (AFP): Arab leaders at a summit in Saudi Arabia have slammed Washington's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move its embassy there, but analysts say their words are unlikely to lead to action.
The shift by US President Donald Trump has sparked deep anger across the Arab world, particularly among Palestinians, who see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
But it seemed clear at the Arab League summit, held in the eastern city of Dhahran on Sunday, that regional rulers, particularly in the Gulf, are unwilling to jeopardise close ties with Trump as they seek to counter Iran.
"Generally, Arab League summits produce more rhetoric than action," said Denis Bauchard, an expert from the French Institute on International Relations. "I don't think this will go beyond declarations."
For Riyadh, he said, "what is essential is the relationship with Washington".
Israel occupied mainly Palestinian east Jerusalem and the surrounding region in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, declaring the city its capital.