Trump underscores unequivocal support for Israel by moving embassy
Early this month, I celebrated as President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the future location of our U.S. Embassy. His declaration was bold and clear, and it crystalized America’s unequivocal support for Israel — our greatest ally in the Middle East. In making his declaration, the president Trump was reflecting not just his own position, but the will of millions of Americans across the country.
It was also a decision that respected the sovereign will of the Israeli people. Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for more than 3,000 years. Based on that fact alone, the president’s announcement was nothing more than modern wisdom catching up with an ancient truth.
Moreover, when Israel was again recognized as a sovereign nation in 1948, she immediately owned the right to choose her capital, and the people chose Jerusalem. Therefore, to intentionally not situate one’s embassy within that capital city constitutes an unacceptable disregard for both democracy and sovereignty. In this context, the issue is far larger than one’s opinions about Israel. Rather, the question becomes whether or not one values the basic principle of sovereignty. Moving the U.S. Embassy to Israel’s chosen capital of Jerusalem honors the Jewish state, her leaders and citizens as equal members of the global community, while upholding the core principles of democracy and sovereignty that America stands for.
Perhaps the loudest critiques of the president’s recognition of Jerusalem were the overblown concerns of widespread violence in the Middle East, and the patent falsehood that this recognition of reality would harm the prospects for peace.
Regarding the former, Hamas, ISIS and the like have never needed an excuse to commit acts of terror, and at no point has submission or inaction succeeded in appeasing radicals.
Regarding the latter, the peace process has stagnated by continuing to indulge the fantasy of some Palestinians that Israel will be wiped from the map or Jews evicted from Jerusalem. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted, “The president’s decision is an important step towards peace, for there is no peace that doesn’t include Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel.”
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