France, Lebanon warn Jerusalem recognition threatens Mideast stability

The leaders of France and Lebanon are warning that the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is threatening stability throughout the region.

With protests under way around the Arab world over the decision, French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “launching an appeal for calm and responsibility.”

Macron spoke at the opening of an international conference in Paris on settling Lebanon’s political crisis. He said tensions around Jerusalem are threatening stability throughout the region and efforts to stabilize Lebanon.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, also in Paris, said the US decision “will further complicate the peace process and pose an additional challenge to the stability of the whole region.” Hariri’s brief resignation last month sparked fears of a new proxy conflict in Lebanon.

— AP