Al-Qaeda demand jihadis ATTACK US and UK for Trump act of ‘BLATANT AGGRESSION’
DONALD Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has been labelled an act of “blatant aggression” by Al-Qaeda, it has emerged.
According to US-based SITE monitoring website, the terror group is calling on its supporters to carry out attacks on the US and its allies in response to the move by the Republican firebrand.
In a statement, the Islamist militant group said Trump’s decision was a result of “normalisation steps” between some Gulf Arab countries and Israel.
The group added: “The recognition of Jerusalem of the capital of the Zionist entity is blatant aggression by the Crusader Trump against the sanctities of Muslims.”
“It is also a clear challenge to the Muslim world that sees the centrality of the Palestinian cause.
“In the face of this serious events, we stand by our people in Palestine and support them with all we possess.
“If you do not move, God forbid, then tomorrow the holiest of places and the Muslims’ Qiblah, Mecca, will be sold and you will find then no one to defend it.”
Al-Qaeda then called on Muslims with money and weapons to help and asked Islamist militants to be ready to support Palestinians.
The branch of the terror group that made the statement, AQAP, was formed in 2009 when Al-Qaeda’s Saudi Arabia and Yemen groups came together.
The US has previously carried out a number of drone strikes on the group that has targeted its leaders.
In 2011 a drone strike ordered by Barack Obama killed Anwar al-Awlaki, a well-known figure in the group who was known to convert people to its ideology.
Trump announced on Wednesday he believes “it is time to officially recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel".
The decision unravelled years of work to establish peace in the Middle East and sparked warnings from Hamas about possible uprisings against Israel.
Trump: US embassy will be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
Spontaneous protests broke out in the region following the move and despite the deployment of thousands of Israeli troops, there are few signs that tensions will subside quickly.
The Islamist group said Trump had “opened the gates of hell” with his “flagrant aggression” while Turkey strongly condemned the move.
Yesterday the US asked Israel to temper its response to the US recognition of Jerusalem as the country’s capital.
According to a document seen by Reuters on Wednesday, Washington’s State Department is weighing the potential threat to US facilities and people.
“While I recognise that you will publicly welcome this news, I ask that you restrain your official response,” the document dated December 6 said in talking points for diplomats at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to convey to Israeli officials.
“We expect there to be resistance to this news in the Middle East and around the world. We are still judging the impact this decision will have on US facilities and personnel overseas,” the document said.
A second State Department document seen by Reuters, which was also dated December 6, said the agency had formed an internal task force “to track worldwide developments” following the US decision on Jerusalem.
A US official who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was standard to set up a task force “any time there is a concern about the safety and security of US government personnel or US citizens.”
The State Department had no immediate comment on either document.
The status of Jerusalem, home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions, is one of the biggest obstacles to reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there.
Palestinians want the capital of an independent state of their own to be in the city's eastern sector, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move never recognised internationally.