by Sophie Saint-Firmin, News Editor
“I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” President Trump said in a controversial address on Dec. 6. Plans to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem are in the works according to CNN. He directed the State Department to “begin preparation to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.”
President Trump is upending nearly seven decades of U.S. foreign policy by acknowledging Jerusalem as the capital. Previous U.S. presidents have “failed to deliver” on pledges to acknowledge Jerusalem instead of Tel Aviv. In 1995, Congress passed a law that recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but since then every president has decided to waive that law for six months, according to NPR. Trump was expected to do the same, but instead he said, “I am delivering.”
According to NPR, moving the embassy is breaking international practices because no other nation has an embassy in Jerusalem. Officials say the move could take several years.
Although Trump is delivering on campaign promises, this move may be a tumultuous one. Both Israelis and Palenstinians claim Jerusalem as the capital city. According to BBC, Israel welcomes the changes, but Palestinian and Arab officials have warned that this move will jeopardize any hope for peace in the Middle East.
Palestine’s U.K. representative, Manuel Hassassian, told BBC that these changes would be the “kiss of death” to any peace solutions and could end up causing war within the Middle East.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia told President Trump during a call, according to Saudi state television, “Moving the U.S. embassy is a dangerous step that provokes the feelings of Muslims around the world.”
Although this policy is widely opposed, many feel that it will bring a positive impact. Amos Yadlin, executive director of Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, told the New York Times, “The U.S. recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a positive and important step, particularly amid Palestinian efforts to undermine the historic ties between the Jewish nation and the City of David.”
Photo by Rob Bye via Unsplash
