On Wednesday President Trump announced that he is recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and that the US embassy will have to move there from Tel Aviv. He said “this is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do.” For decades the United States and many other countries have not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Considering failure of the previous years of negotiations and policy concerning Jerusalem, Trump argued “it would be folly to assume that repeating the exact same formula would now produce a different or better result.”
As the past few presidents have, Trump signed the national security waiver that would keep the embassy in Tel Aviv for six more months. Although this contradicts his recent announcement, his administration said that the waiver was unavoidable since it would take years to move the entire embassy to Jerusalem anyway.
Response to this announcement has not been very positive. Arab and European leaders along with the Pope and many others warned that this could have some violent consequences. White House officials defended it by saying that they expect repercussions but that peace in the Middle East is still achievable. They said that the move to Jerusalem will remove ambiguity for America.
What do you think? Was this a good move for President Trump? Do you predict damage to Middle East peace negotiations or do you think this is a step in the right direction?
17 comments:
The controversial claims that the two countries have on the holy city proves why the U.S., as well as other countries, had remained neutral on Jerusalem for so long and adding a piece of American property on one side of the conflict just gives a sort of advantage to them. There is no doubt that this will increase the likelihood of violent protests and riots by Palestinians and those who deem this as unfair. This can also prompt other countries to move their embassies to Jerusalem as well, which would only add fuel to the fire. Despite the violence that may erupt and other effects that it'll have in the coming months/years, I do believe that the rising friction between the two countries could perhaps allow for more talks of negotiation in the future, but we may never know.
This is an escalatory action done for seemingly no good reasons. Some Palestinians have already started protesting against this action, and knowing the conflict of this history, this will likely result in multiple deaths. The Embassy in Tel Aviv was fine, and any minor benefit from this move will be outweighed by the cons. I can't help but think that this move was to appease the fundamental christian voting block in America, rather than to make a wise decision.
I agree with Harrison and Michael. The Israel-Palestinian struggle is such a touchy and fragile topic. I believe the best thing for the U.S to do is to not pick sides and not get involved in the issue. Clearly Trump did not fully think about the repercussions and consequences of this decision. I agree that this could not only cause more deaths and fighting between the people but also cause other countries to follow in our footsteps, which could only further the fighting between the two sides. The best thing to do for the majority of countries I believe is to avoid choosing sides and getting involved in hopes of not heightening this ongoing debate.
I agree that Trump's decision to recognize Israel's capital as Jerusalem was a risky move that will likely bring long-lasting consequences for a hopeful future of peace in the region. The US shouldn't have gotten involved in something where the status quo situation is probably better than what would happen if we were involved, as our involvement can only escalate an already volatile situation. I wonder if Trump considered how this would affect US relations with the other Arab countries in the region, who were are on very rocky terms with regarding Israel, and if he did, why he thought his decision was right. His actions are a likely step away from obtaining progress towards peace, and their seem to be minimal benefits.
I'd disagree with what prior comments have said about the President not fully thinking about the repercussions of his decision. In the campaign, Trump was the most pro-Israeli candidate, not making any bones of the fact that Israel is our one true ally in the region. He also enjoys a favorable relationship with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. I also don't think this was "appease the fundamental christian voting block in America," as they're too obsessed with their uber-conservative delusions of 'social decay' to care about foreign policy.
Personally, I don't think that this was a good idea (as does literally every expert on the region, no matter who you support), but it's certainly a pro-Israel idea. So announcing the capital of Israel was a pro-Israel move-which solidifies Trump as a pro-Israel negotiator in the talks that Trump proposes. Despite what people say, I think it's OK for the United States to pick a side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, what with Israel being the only ally in the region we don't have to openly go out of our way to appease.
In terms of these repercussions? I can imagine a possible Intifada Part 3: Electric Jamboree, and things might get harder at the negotiating table. Trump has stated that the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks is the 'dream deal,' but this move could stall negotiations. It's a guarantee that the Palestinians will demand that the Israeli Government move away from Jerusalem to another location (Tel Aviv is nice this time of year) and it's also a guarantee that Israel will dither, claiming a spiritual connection and a territorial claim from 3000 years ago.
I'd agree with most comments above. Trump's decision to change the embassy location is going to increase the political unrest in both of those places (israel and palestine). Additionally, I know a few people in Jordan (because there is a government funded study abroad currently there now) but Anyways, Jordan has also experienced a lot of protests and backlash. People are in Amman, the capital, protesting and chanting that they don't want the US embassy on Jordanian lands anymore. Jordan is largely of Palestinian origin, and they are worried that future political settlement will not benefit the interests of Jordanians. Not only is this change affecting those 2 specific places, but also other countries in the Middle East.
Ultimately, it was going to come down to which side the United States was going to pick. While a two state solution is no doubt the best option, Israel is too powerful and dominant in the international community for one to reason with. Remember, Israel has nukes and has one of the strongest militaries in the world. Likely, this move was orchestrated by the team of Jared Kushner, so there is no surprise there. However, I believe that this will rise tensions in the middle east and give more enemies to the United States.
The Israel and Palestinian conflict has had an undoubtedly messy past and groups that violently opposed Israelites continue to exist. America has been Israel's ally for many years not but Trump is the first president to take this step since 1948. It is also important to note that the movement of the embassy is actually a campaign promise from 2016. He used this point to sway many of the wealthy religious groups to take his side during his campaign. Nonetheless, this action brings about a certain decisiveness that was often avoided by members of the Obama administration in their hesitancy to take a side. Although negotiations are goin to be harder, I believe that more can be accomplished in the long run by making it clear to Palestinians that Israel has the backings of the US.
I think this was a very bad move by Trump. The United States is built on the principles of freedom, liberty, and self-determination (especially after the Imperialism period in the late 1800s, early 1900s), and denying Palestine these rights by refusing to recognize them is incredibly hypocritical. I do understand that Israel remains one of the only dependable and probably the most powerful ally the United States has in the Middle East and that's why we can't support Palestine outright, but definitively taking the Israeli side is a bad move. We're already surrounded by countries who hate us in the Middle East, and we don't need more people to hate us. I think Erin brings up a very important point of US relations with other Arab countries in the Middle East. There is already a lot of tension in that area, and the religious environment there is incredibly varied. The United States siding with Israel is a show of power on their side and is probably not going to be received favorably by other countries who are pro-Palestine (which is the majority of countries in the Middle East and the world). The United States is one of the only countries that has not recognized Palestine as an independent state.
And while this action is consistent with Trump's promises in the campaign, I doubt a lot of the things he says are well thought out. He's prone to make very radical statements that have very low probability of actually working out, and he doesn't really seem to care about what kind of repercussions his policies will bring out to people who are not like him even at home, so what's the chance of him actually caring what repercussions occur internationally?
I disagree with Caroline, not recognizing Palestine is not a rejection of anyone's rights. This isn't an issue of colonialism and self-determination either so that argument is invalid. Israel has a legitimate claim to the region and the superiority to say that that land is all Israel. There is no point in splitting an already tiny country just to appease some Palestinians. Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is good because it shows we are going to be strong allies of Israel and it solidifies our position in the Middle East.
I don't believe that this is a smart tactical move for President Trump. Issues surrounding Jerusalem is the center of the Israeli-Palestine conflict and taking a strong side is not a move in the direction of compromise and peace. The United States is just making enemies and no actual legislative moves towards positive change. I believe in a two state solution, keeping Jerusalem a neutral area. Therefore, declaring Jerusalem as Israel's capital seems like more of a move against Palestinians than actually supporting Israel. Additionally, changing the space of the US embassy only puts the embassy in more danger by being in a more contentious zone, without any positive effects.
What were people referring to as Israel's capital before this week? It wasn't Tel Aviv or Haifa, it was Jerusalem. Where are Israel's government and parliament located? Jerusalem. This move by Trump only solidifies what the de jure and de facto capital is.
In my opinion, Jerusalem is best kept by the Israelis. Being the rulers of the city, the Israelis allow people of any religion to worship at the holy sites across the city, something Palestine has made very clear they would abolish if they were in charge. Israel has appeased Palestine over and over giving them control of the Gaza Strip, which Hamas just turned into a war zone and continues to repeatedly attack Israel. I know Israel isn't free of wrongdoing, I'm just saying for the sake of keeping Jerusalem and the surrounding area safe and religiously tolerant, the Israelis should be in charge.
Finally, I can't help but mention how the Palestinians started two or three wars and lost each war decisively. Now they just send suicide bombers and launch rockets into civilian centers, and then they play the victim card. If Israel treats Palestinians badly, the treatment is the same the other way around.
I feel like this was not a very wise mood by President Trump. I do not feel like it is a step in the right direction because the entire conflict in Jerusalem is extremely complex. With Trump making this decision, it increases the tensions between Arab nations and the US. Since this topic is so sensitive, the US should not have picked sides and remained as the center negotiator between the two nations.
I was shocked to hear that Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israels Capital against the recommendation of many in his party. I believe that this move was not the correct decision as it furthered the disconnect between Palestinians and Israelis. This complex relationship between Arab nations, the US and Israel has grown even more complicated due to this declaration. It would have been best in my opinion to remained neutral and serve as a mediator for the negotiations between the two states.
I too believe that Trump's decision in recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital was not a very smart move. This decision will escalate the tensions that are already there, and it seems we are moving farther away from creating peace. I remember sophomore year we did a project where different groups were nations like Egypt and Iran, and we all agreed to keep Jerusalem a neutral area. And in real life that would have been much better to ease tensions. But as of now, I feel that this issue will get even more difficult to push towards peace.
I do not think that Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital was wise at all. While I do agree with Josh's point that Jerusalem has effectively been the "capital" of Israel for a long time now, the idea has been for it to serve as some type of "neutral site" for both Palestinians and Israelis to conduct religious practices. Now, Trump's claim essentially removes the "neutral" aspect of the area. By claiming that Jerusalem is Israel's capital, he also sides the U.S. solely with Israel in the Israel-Palestine conflict, which isolates the Palestinians completely.
Why this is bad? Yes, it has been obvious throughout this conflict that the U.S. has been sided with Israel and has supported their efforts to combat Palestinian aggression, but the U.S. has never really condemned all Palestinians in general. We have still somewhat sympathized with the struggle of the Palestinians, as although they have contributed to the violence in the region, we remember that they were displaced at the end of WWII to make space for the creation of Israel. At least, up until this point it seems that we have sympathized with them a little. Now, Trump has definitively sided the U.S. with Israel in the conflict, which not only pits us against the Palestinians, but all of their allies in the region. The last thing the U.S. needs to do right now is go around and make more enemies in an already very tense part of the world. Overall, the Israel-Palestine conflict is too complicated and multi-faceted for the U.S. to afford to get involved in, but Trump's claim helped to push the U.S. right in the middle of it. There is no way that our involvement in the conflict ends well, just as there is no way that the Israel-Palestine conflict ends well (if it ever ends, which it probably won't....).
I do not believe that Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital was not good decision that will bear harsh or violent repercussions. This event will increase tensions that are already high in that area and this only adds to it. It increases the divide and problems between Palestinians and Israelis. I think a better way was to remain neutral in this situation.
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