Commercial pilot defies last week’s decision by US to recognize city as Israel’s capital
In defiance of U.S. President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a Jordanian airline pilot recently told his passengers that they were about to fly over Jerusalem, “the Palestinian capital”.
“We are now heading towards Palestine, after which we will fly north from Jerusalem, the Palestinian capital, to JFK International Airport,” Royal Jordanian Airlines Captain Yousef Dajeh told passengers aboard a commercial flight from Amman to New York earlier this week.
Recent days have seen tensions mount across the occupied and blockaded Palestinian territories following Trump’s controversial decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.
