Report: Trump administration asks Israel to temper response on Jerusalem recognition

The Trump administration asked its Israeli counterparts to tone down their response to President Trump’s announcement that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, according to a State Department document obtained by Reuters.

The document, which was dated the same day as Trump’s announcement, offers talking points for diplomats working at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv to relay to Israeli officials. 

“While I recognize that you will publicly welcome this news, I ask that you restrain your official response,” the document said. 

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“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 U.S. facilities and personnel overseas,” the document continued. 

Reuters also reported the State Department had established an internal task force “to track worldwide developments” following Trump’s announcement.

A department source told the news service that task forces were standard “any time there is a concern about the safety and security of U.S. government personnel or U.S. citizens.”

The Hill has reached out to the State Department for comment.

The report comes as protests begin to break out in the Palestinian dominated West Bank in response to Trump’s announcement. 

The leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Thursday called for a new uprising to begin Friday against Israel in response to the announcement. 

The U.S. State Department, on Tuesday, urged U.S. citizens to avoid Jerusalem’s Old City and the West Bank over fears of protests and violent reaction to the president’s announcement.

Trump’s move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital was expected to cause unrest in the region because Palestinians have viewed a part of Jerusalem as a capital for a future Palestinian state. 

While Israel calls the holy city its capital, the international community recognizes Tel Aviv to be the nation’s capital.