Move is likely to upend decades of U.S. policy

U.S. President Donald Trump at a past rally at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. [Photo: Courtesy]

US President Donald Trump will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on Wednesday and set in motion the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to the ancient city, senior U.S. officials said, a decision that upends decades of U.S. policy and risks fueling violence in the Middle East.

Facing an outcry of opposition from Arab capitals, Trump, in a landmark speech, will announce he has ordered the State Department to begin developing a plan to move the embassy from Tel Aviv in what is expected to be a process that takes three to four years, the officials said. He will not set a timetable for the move.