UPDATE: Trump to formally recornize Jerusalem as Israel's capital

JERUSALEM (AP)

U.S. officials say President Donald Trump will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital Wednesday and instruct the State Department to begin the multi-year process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.

The officials say recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital will be an acknowledgement of “historical and current reality” rather than a political statement. They note that almost all of Israel’s government agencies and parliament are in Jerusalem, rather than Tel Aviv, where the U.S. and other countries maintain embassies.

The officials say moving the embassy, long a campaign pledge that Trump has insisted he must fulfill, will not happen immediately.

The officials spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss Trump’s announcement beforehand.

Earlier today, Trump told the leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Jordan in phone calls that he intends to move the U.S. Embassy.

For now, U.S. officials familiar with Trump's planning said he would immediately declare Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a rhetorical volley that could have its own dangerous consequences.

The U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem ordered its personnel and their families not to conduct personal travel to Jerusalem's Old City or the West Bank due to fears of unrest over the expected U.S. announcement. The consulate said government employees could still travel to those areas for essential business but only with additional security.

The warning also urged American citizens to avoid large crowds or areas with increased police or military presence.

The United States has never endorsed the Jewish state's claim of sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem and has insisted its status be resolved through Israeli-Palestinian negotiation.

Trump's recognition could be viewed as America discarding that longstanding position and siding with Israel at a time that the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has been trying to midwife a new peace process into existence. Trump, too, has spoken of his desire for a "deal of the century" that would end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

U.S. officials, along with an outside adviser to the administration, said they expected a broad statement from Trump about Jerusalem's status as the "capital of Israel."

The president isn't planning to use the phrase "undivided capital," according to the officials who weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity. Such terminology is favored by Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and would imply Israel's sovereignty over east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians seek for their own future capital.