Haley: Trump isn’t deciding who controls east Jerusalem

Nikki Haley, the United States ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.), said Wednesday that the U.S. is not taking sides in the dispute over east Jerusalem, despite President Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy and recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city.

Haley noted that Trump’s announcement did not mention east Jerusalem and said it will be up to Israelis and Palestinians during peace negotiations to decide the fate of the contested parts of the city.

{mosads}“That’s for the two sides to decide,” Haley told CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.” “That’s not for the United States to decide.”

“We don’t want to pick a side on this,” she added.

The U.N. voted last year to condemn Israel’s settlement-building in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

East Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, was not part of the original lines drawn for Israel in 1949. Many view this part of the city as occupied territory and Palestinians hope for it to be the capital of a future independent state.

Trump in his Wednesday announcement said he would put plans in motion to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but also signed a six-month waiver delaying the move.

Critics argue the president’s action could spark unrest in the region.