Senior Cleric:

Trump's Move Increases Unity Among Muslim States

Rasa- Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers Leader Hojjatoleslam Kazzem Seddiqi strongly blasted the US president for his recent decision to relocate Washington's embassy from Tel Aviv to al-Quds (Jerusalem), and said Donald Trump's move has united Muslims more than before.

News ID: 435355

Date: 15 December 2017 - 18:20

RNA - Addressing a large and fervent congregation of the people in Tehran on Friday, Hojjatoleslam Seddiqi said, "The issue was a long-standing one as it had been previously approved by the US Congress though former US presidents refrained from enforcing the law due to certain considerations."

He said with the formation of numerous political and popular Resistance forces in the region, a solid military and defense ring has been created that promises immediate elimination of "the Zionist regime".

“Former presidents of the US were essentially similar to Donald Trump with the difference that Trump openly reveals its wild and cruel nature which explains why ex-presidents refused from carrying out the congressional decision that was contrary to UN resolutions," Hojjatoleslam Seddiqi added.

“Following Trump’s words, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the UN Security Council held extraordinary meetings which, once again, led to the international isolation of the US as evidenced even by its Western allies,” he further said.

The US president last Wednesday defied global warnings, and said Washington formally recognizes Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel, and will begin the process of moving its embassy to the occupied city, breaking with decades of American policy despite widespread international opposition.

In anticipation of Trump's move, 151 members of the UN General Assembly voted last week to adopt a rare resolution that denounced Israel as the “occupying power” of Jerusalem al-Quds, a city that is holy to Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike.

The city has seen heightened tensions since 2015, when the Israeli military introduced restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque — Islam’s third holiest site.

Over 300 Palestinians have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli soldiers ever since.

Israel lays claim to the entirety of al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital while Palestinians want its Eastern part as the capital of a future state for themselves.

Palestinian leaders have warned that the potential relocation would fuel strong reaction in the region and deliver a death blow to any prospect of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump’s move which overturns decades of US foreign policy has triggered a fresh wave of unrest in the Middle East.

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