Ex-Top Gear star Jeremy Clarkson to Palestine: Announce London as the capital of America

Jeremy Clarkson has advised Palestinians to announce that London is the capital of the United States in response to President Trump recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The TV presenter wrote the cheeky message on Twitter on Thursday, almost exactly 24 hours after Donald Trump’s controversial announcement.

Clarkson wrote: ‘Palestinians: why not announce that as far as you’re concerned, the capital of America is London.’

Palestinians: why not announce that as far as you're concerned, the capital of America is London.

— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) December 7, 2017

On Wednesday the 5th December, US President Donald Trump declared his intention to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He broke with decades of US foreign policy and international consensus by officially recognising Jerusalem – a city claimed by both Israel and Palestine – as the capital of the Jewish state. This has sparked outrage across the Middle East and the international community.

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Jeremy Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer. He is best known for co-presenting the BBC TV show Top Gear.

Clarkson’s joke is clearly at the expense of President Trump’s move, with the implication being that a mere declaration does not change the facts on the ground – and that naming Jerusalem Israel’s capital is akin to naming London the USA’s.

It also tallies with a statement made by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who said Trump’s recognition doesn’t automatically make Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Speaking yesterday, he added that:

…with one announcement by a country, Jerusalem cannot be the capital of Israel.

You can’t come out and say, “I’m a great power, I can do what I want”

While the international community has almost unanimously disagreed with Donald Trump’s announcement, reports suggest that the announcement was done with the pre-agreement of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, with the Saudi Arabia going as far as, allegedly, stating to the Palestinian President to accept a village on the outskirts of Jerusalem as the alternative Palestinian capital.

Since the announcement, Saudi Arabia’s royal court has sent notices to the nation’s media outlets to limit the airtime given to protests against Trump’s announcement.

Read: Egypt minster calls for opening Arab embassies in Palestine’s Jerusalem