Israel issues coin featuring Trump

An Israeli organization has issued a coin featuring the image of United States President Donald Trump in order to honour his unilateral declaration of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

The Mikdash Educational Center on Wednesday said that the "Temple Coin" features Trump alongside King of Persia, Cyrus. Below them is the inscription, "Cyrus - Balfour - Trump - Declaration 2018."

Cyrus permitted the Jews to return to the Land of Israel following their captivity in Babylon, and facilitated construction of the Second Temple, the local media reported.

According to the report, the Hamikdah Betzion (The Temple in Zion) organisation opines that Trump's December 6 declaration recognising Israel's sovereignty in Jerusalem set him on a similar path.

1,000 biblical half-shekel coins have been minted which reportedly cannot be used as currency.

On December 6 last year, Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital in a controversial move, prompting international criticism and sparking protests across the world.

Jerusalem is considered a sacred place, which is home to Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites. However, it is also a disputed territory, contested by both Israel and Palestine, which sees it as a capital of its future state.