TRUMP ADMIN. DECLARES JERUSALEM PART OF ISRAEL IN MAJOR POLICY SHIFT:

The Trump administration declared this week, the President is in "Jerusalem, Israel," for a series of meetings with Israeli officials, a proclamation that breaks with years of American policy refraining from stating that the city of Jerusalem is part of Israel. Senior Trump administration officials had ignited a wave of controversy over the past several weeks when discussing Jerusalem, with some top officials refusing to say that the ancient city is part of Israel. Decades of USA policy has refrained from formally labeling Jerusalem as part of Israel due to concerns this could negatively impact the Middle East peace process, in which Palestinian leaders have staked a claim to the city as their future capital. Ahead of a joint press conference with Israeli PM Netanyahu, the White House, on its official website, provided a live stream of the event. Prior to its start, the White House included a frame stating, "President Trump gives remarks with Prime Minister Netanyahu." The location provided was "Jerusalem, Israel." The statement appears to be part of an effort to normalize this language, which is widely backed by USA lawmakers and senior officials in the administration, sources said. (Wash. Free Beacon)