Patriarchs and heads of local churches in Jerusalem penned a special letter addressed to U.S. President Donald Trump to express their concern over his intention to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and possibly relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, reports Agencies.
The letter, sent on Wednesday hours ahead of the expected announcement by Trump, asks the president to walk back on the potential unilateral recognition of the city as solely Israeli. "Our solemn advice and plea is for the United States to continue recognizing the present international status of Jerusalem. Any sudden changes would cause irreparable harm," the clerics pleaded with the president.
Calling on Trump not to change the status quo of the city that bears historic and religious significance to Christians, Muslims and Jews alike, the clerics told Trump that "the Holy City can be shared and fully enjoyed once a political process helps liberate the hearts of all people, that live within it, from the conditions of conflict and destructiveness that they are experiencing."
The heads of churches implored Trump to take more time to reconsider the significant change in American policy on the contested city, and shared with him that they have been "following, with concern, the reports about the possibility of changing how the United States understands and deals with the status of Jerusalem."
The thirteen signatories on the letter all represent a diverse variety of churches affiliated with Catholic, Evangelical, Orthodox and Apostolic religious sites.
Evangelical Christians in particular, both those based in Israel and elsewhere in the world, have pressed in the past for the American president to make the historical step and move the embassy to Jerusalem.
They finished their letter by bidding Trump a merry Christmas and inviting him to see Christmas celebrations in Jerusalem, which they said accentuate the diversity the city enjoys now- and might no longer have- should it not be of the same heterogeoneous nature it boasts of today.
Meanwhile, the US has warned Palestinians against cancelling talks with Vice-President Mike Pence, after Washington recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
A senior Palestinian official earlier said Mr Pence would not be welcome.
It would be "counterproductive" to scrap talks between Mr Pence and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas planned later this month, the US said.
President Donald Trump's announcement on Jerusalem this week reversed decades of US policy on Jerusalem's status.
On Thursday, at least 31 Palestinians were wounded in clashes in the Gaza Strip and across the occupied West Bank.
The clashes were triggered by Mr Trump's policy shift. More protests are expected in Palestinian territories on Friday, with Israel deploying hundreds of extra troops in the West Bank.
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has already called for a new intifada, or uprising.
Jibril Rajoub, a senior official in Mr Abbas' Fatah party, said on Thursday Mr Pence was "not welcome" in the Palestinian territories and that the meeting would not take place.
A White House official responded by saying Mr Pence "still intends to meet Mr Abbas and Palestinian leaders and thinks any decision to pull out of the meeting would be counterproductive".
During his visit - scheduled for the second half of December - Mr Pence will also travel to Israel and Egypt.
Mr Abbas has not personally commented on the issue.
Mr Trump announced the move on Wednesday. The US president said: "I've judged this course of action to be in the best interests of the United States of America and the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians."
He said he was directing the US state department to begin preparations to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
