French President Emmanuel Macron appealed for calm on Friday after U.S. President Donald J. Trump‘s widely-criticised recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Speaking at a meeting to discuss Lebanon, Mr. Macron said the decision should not “add to the instability of the region. I’m issuing a call for calm and responsibility by everyone which is essential for the efforts we are undertaking here.”
Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri called the move a new challenge to the already tense Middle East.
“It complicates the peace process even more (between Israel and the Palestinians) and creates a new challenge to regional security,” he said at a meeting in Paris. “In the name of the Lebanese people, I can only repeat our rejection of this decision.”
LIVE l Pour la stabilité du Liban et de sa région : déclaration conjointe avec @saadhariri et @AminaJMohammed.https://t.co/RqWEE2McCP
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 8, 2017