UNITED States President Donald Trump has made the most foolish decision thus far in his presidency by recognising Jerusalem (Baitulmaqdis) as the capital of Israel on Wednesday night.
Such a decision will not only create chaos in the Middle East and other parts of the world, but would also affect the battle against terrorism.
Militants and terrorists will certainly use this unilateral recognition as an excuse to cause more violence.
Trump needs to be smart when it comes to international and diplomatic relations. It is not like running a company, which he used to do before becoming president.
A simple action by him in his capacity as the leader of a country can have serious implications for people, especially in the Middle East.
He needs to be more cautious and think deeply before taking any action, especially one as serious as this.
When its comes to the conflict between Palestine and Israel, the US president needs to be just and exercise a higher standard of professionalism to solve the protracted disagreement peacefully and satisfactorily as it involves highly sensitive issues concerning race and religion.
Trump cannot make a unilateral decision on his own without consultation with and getting the agreement of relevant parties. Recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will not solve any problems. Instead, it will lead to many problems in the future, and Trump will have to bear the responsibility for all the consequences.
DR MUZAFFAR SYAH MALLOW
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Syariah and Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia