A new provocation with the Trump stamp.

The president of the United States plans to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel on Wednesday; a decision that will provoke protests in the Muslim countries of the Middle East and that has already aroused criticism from the European Union.

In a clear pro-Israeli turn, Trump torpedoes years of diplomatic efforts by previous US administrations to establish peace between Israel and Palestine. Both states dispute Jerusalem as the "holy" capital of their countries. Officially, Tel Aviv is the capital of Israel and it is in this coastal city where countries have their embassies.

The decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel responds to "an acknowledgment of the historical reality of the country," according to President Trump. Historically, Jerusalem was the ancient capital of Israel. Since the foundation of modern Israel, in 1948, the city still hosts the seat of government. The majority of international embassies were transferred to Tel Aviv from 1980 when Israel annexed the eastern part of the city.

The transfer of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem will take "at least three to four years" to complete, according to White House officials cited by Efe.

The US decision to recognize Jerusalem as a capital has a guaranteed controversy. The four main Arab leaders of the Middle East - Palestine, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia - have already expressed their concern about a measure that breaks the international consensus in force until today.

Europe has also expressed concern about such a measure, which could trigger social protests in the Arab world. French President Emmanuel Macron called Trump by telephone on Monday to remind him that "the question of the status of Jerusalem should be regulated in the framework of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, with a special aspiration to create two States that live together in peace and security with Jerusalem as the capital ", according to the statement, quoted in the newspaper El Mundo.

"While remaining silent, just as he did with his withdrawal from the climate change pact, he has allowed the scenic tension to rise to the maximum. The result has been that in the Middle East and Europe pressures have multiplied for him to abandon the idea. Meanwhile, and with all the lights pointing at him, Trump sat on top of the powder keg to meditate. It is his way of doing politics," criticizes the Spanish newspaper El País.