Trump’s Mistake on Quds Boosted Unity among Muslims

Speaking at a meeting of Iran’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution in Tehran on Tuesday, Rouhani briefed participants in the meeting on a recent summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which was held in the Turkish city of Istanbul to coordinate a response to a US decision to recognize Quds as Israel’s capital.

“The US president’s mistake of declaring the relocation of the country’s embassy to the holy Quds made Muslims more unified on the issue of Quds and Palestine,” he noted.

The move was part of a plot against Palestine and the Muslim world that has backfired, Rouhani said, adding that today, a new intifada (Palestinian uprising) has been formed against the Zionist regime of Israel.

Trump officially declared the disputed city Israel's capital, despite warnings from around the world that the measure risks triggering a fresh wave of violence in the Middle East.

In a speech at the White House on December 6, Trump said his administration would also begin a years-long process of moving the American embassy in Tel Aviv to the holy city.

The announcement was a major shift by Washington that overturns decades of US foreign policy.

Palestinian leaders had previously warned the move would threaten a two-state solution.

Israel has occupied East Quds since the 1967 Middle East war. It annexed the area in 1980 and sees it as its exclusive domain. Under international law, the area is considered to be occupied territory.