International

Islamist militant group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has condemned the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and called on militants to close ranks to support Palestinians.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday reversed decades of U.S. policy and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In the statement carried by the U.S. SITE monitoring group, the Yemen-based AQAP said Trump’s decision was the result of what it said were “normalization steps” between some Gulf Arab countries and Israel.

“It is also a clear challenge to the Muslim world that sees the centrality of the Palestinian cause,” the group said. “In the face of this serious events, we stand by our people in Palestine and support them with all we possess.”

Addressing Islamist militants, the group called on them to close ranks to be ready to support Palestinians and urged Muslims to help with money and weapons.