But in a chorus of concern, European and Middle Eastern leaders and diplomats said in recent days that the decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital could have a devastating effect on efforts to resolve the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Mr. Trump is recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital to fulfill one of his campaign promises, his advisers have said.
Boris Johnson, the British foreign secretary who joined Mr. Tillerson at the NATO conference here, said he viewed reports of Mr. Trump’s looming decision “with concern because we think Jerusalem should be part of a final settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, a negotiated final settlement, and we have no plans ourselves to move our embassy.”
Later, he amended those comments as he stood beside Mr. Tillerson before a bilateral meeting, saying the Americans should produce their plans for peace in the Middle East right away.
“We would like to see, as a result of this, the American proposals on the Middle East peace process brought forward,” he said.
Mr. Tillerson also met here with the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was far less diplomatic.
“It will be a grave mistake,” Mr. Cavusoglu said of the pending announcement. “It will not bring any stability or peace but rather chaos and instability.”
Mr. Tillerson has been calling leaders from around the world in recent days to alert them to the pending announcement. In brief public remarks on Tuesday beside Mr. Tillerson, Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s top diplomat, warned against the Jerusalem declaration.
“A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled,” she said.
But in his own comments Wednesday after meeting Mr. Cavusoglu, Mr. Tillerson said diplomats had barely brought up the subject with him.
“We haven’t had a lot of talks about that,” Mr. Tillerson said.
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