Lebanese foreign minister says Arab nations should consider measures against US

Lebanon’s foreign minister called on Arab nations on Saturday to take “preemptive measures” against the U.S. after President Trump moved this week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Such measures, Gebran Bassil said at a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers, would begin with diplomatic actions and could progress to economic and financial sanctions.

“Preemptive measures [must be] taken against the decision … beginning with diplomatic measures, then political, then economic and financial sanctions,” Bassil said in Cairo, according to Reuters.

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Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel this week touched off days of protests in Arab and Muslim-majority countries and drew intense criticism from world leaders, who warned that the move could threaten stability in the region.

Jerusalem is home to holy sites revered by Muslims, Christians and Jews, and Palestinians have long aspired to claim part of the city as the capital of a future independent state. It is also the current seat of Israel’s government.

The U.S. and the broader international community have for decades refused to recognize the city as Israel’s capital, noting the political implications of doing so. Trump’s announcement on Wednesday threatened to derail future peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, which he has vowed to broker.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said this week that Trump’s decision on Jerusalem essentially disqualified the U.S. from overseeing those negotiations.