As has been expected, President Trump on Wednesday gave a speech affirming that he is formally recognizing Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel. Trump cited the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act, which called for such a recognition, but which all other presidents deferred.
Despite a flurry of warnings over the last 48 hours that such a move effectively kills the peace process and threatens destabilizing the region, President Trump argued his move was done for the sake of the peace talks. He implied a correlation between the lack of progress on peace talks and the lack of recognition for Jerusalem.
The problem, of course, is that “Jerusalem” includes a large amount of militarily occupied territory, including parts which are envisioned as part of a future Palestinian state. Israel sees the recognition as an endorsement of their permanent occupation.
Beyond his defense of the move as somehow pro-peace, President Trump appeared to defer the relocation of the embassy to Jerusalem, even longer than the six months which was previously reported in the media. Trump instead promised a “magnificent embassy” to be put in Jerusalem, and reports suggest that the construction could take years.
This makes the move the worst of both worlds, making an on-paper move that’s going to cause a massive backlash, and the embassy move is far down the road at any rate.
This a** kissing will cause violence.
I see “Anti-War” is really a bunch of nazi/commies scumbags
We need to make a clean, walk-away break with Israel before that little nation drags us down even further. Our ‘special relationship’ with Israel has brought us nothing- NOTHING- but trouble from the very start. Whatever possible regional advantage Israel gave us during the Cold War has been long since exhausted and it’s a millstone about our necks which will drown us if we’re not quick to remove it.
Israel’s military experiences have shaped the United States’ approach to counterterrorism and homeland security. Israel has also emerged as an important niche defense supplier to the U.S. military, with sales growing from $300 million per year before September 11 to $1.1 billion in 2006, due to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Israel’s military research and development complex has pioneered many cutting-edge technologies that are transforming the face of modern war, including cyberweapons, unmanned vehicles (such as land robots and aerial drones), sensors and electronic warfare systems, and advanced defenses for military vehicles.
Then again, if the US and Europe had a more balanced approach to the Middle East, or just stayed out of it altogether, these wonderful weapons might not be necessary. Image if all the money spent on this problem largely of our own making was spent on schools, roads and bridges in America.
What exactly has the taxpayer got in return for the billions of dollars given to Israel and dumped into Afghanistan and Iraq? Israel’s contribution to the science of killing each other hardly ranks as a great achievement.
I agree, Marc; if the US and Europe had a more balanced approach to the ME, or just stayed out of it altogether, these wonderful weapons might not be necessary. You’re right; just imagine if all the $$$$ spent on this problem largely of our own making was spent on roads, bridges and schools in the US.
To answer your question of exactly what the taxpayers got in return for the billions of dollars given to Israel and dumped into Afghanistan in Iraq, just about nothing. The Zionist Entity’s contribution to the science of killing each other hardly ranks as a great achievement.
Israel’s nothing but an albatross on our shoulders, Marc, and it’s time we cut off all ties with it. It never had any allies, save the Rothschild Dynasties, who had created it. Just ask a survivor of the attack on the USS Liberty during the Six-Day War in June, 1967; he’ll tell you the truth.
You say this like it’s a good thing.
Learning from the Zionist enterprise about wars in the Middle East and terrorism really helped Uncle Sam. Yeah, we spent $2trillion in Iraq and created ISIS.
Well, I guess Trump approves of some “illegal aliens” after all.
Hmm… Illegal aliens with nukes. Now that’s a scary thought.
They wouldn’t be the first. We have em. Nobody invited us here.
So true. Different century, but same deal.
Trump did something dumb, almost everyone agrees on that. However, it was not just Trump.
Congress passed this by an overwhelming majority in 1995, and they’ve been posturing and pandering to do it ever since.
Congress is near the only group today that is in favor of what Trump has done. They are many of them speaking up today in support of him, near the only ones doing that. That would be the same Congress that received Netanyahu with such rapture when he spoke against Obama.
That suggests the real problem — money in politics, from a few money bags who are dedicated to their pet project that is contrary to US national interests.
It is the very form of government that keeps things the way they are. You cannot change things politically. That door closed a long time ago.
You can’t have permanent war for permanent profits unless you keep doing everything possible to destroy prospects for peace.
That’s true, but Trump’s arguable saving grace is that he wasn’t invested in war. His money comes from resorts and related near-luxury branding. War is bad for tourism, therefore bad for Trump.
He went and did The One Thing. Today was a holiday. Tomorrow and Friday…solid waste excretions will be striking the rotary air impeller.
Trump won’t care because it’ll be happening “over there.” He fulfilled one of his crazy campaign promises…check that box as “mission accomplished.”
Did anyone see the smirk on Pence’s face as he stood behind Trump? I’m sure Pence had visions of Rapture dancing in his little mind.
Welp, interesting…interesting times. I gather that Trump, if given a mysterious object, leaking, and making ticking sounds, would pick it up and shake it. Some might call that bravery.
This guy is truly a moron. I’ve had friends who have argued that he’s not dumb, but what do we gain from such a move? The blowback is tremendous, and the advantage is minimal at best. Trump may profit personally as he probably wants to build the best embassy ever. We’ll see, it’ll be so good. He knows all about building really good, he’s built some of the best, the most wonderful, casinos. Hopefully he can keep up his track record and screw independent Palestinian contractors out of pay.
Maybe this will end the USA as arbitrator and France can take over ? Better yet if every country would just adhere to the UN resolutions and things will be fine.
The world needs a settler colony terrorist state like it
needs a hole in the head.
It is interesting that Pres. Putin, who seems to be on good terms with everyone except those in the Exceptional Homeland, has suggested that WEST Jerusalem should be Israel’s capital, with EAST Jerusalem for Palestine. Have not heard this mentioned elsewhere. Impossible of course, too.
Trump promises to build a “magnificent embassy.” I wonder how many billions of dollars that will cost the taxpayers of the bankrupt USA?
Thanks for the official Arab lies. Consider facts instead.
1) “Oppressive”: name another Middle East country that has real elections or that treats all minorities as equals. Saudi Arabia? Nope. They ban Christianity and Judaism, and persecute Shia residents. Iran? A dictatorship that jails and murders Ba’hai citizens. The list goes on and on.
2) “Colonialist”: What country is Israel a colony of?
3) “Expansionist”: Israel has reduced its territory in recent years. Perhaps you have heard of Gaza? Or the Sinai? Maybe not.
4) “Supremacist”: Israel has given rights to its citizens that they had been deprived of in other nations or in Ottoman times.
5) International law? There is no such thing. There is no World Government, World Court, etc. There are only agreements between sovereign nations.
6) Peace. Israel has peace. Its people are doing well, the economy is growing. The Arabs in Israel are doing well too – that is why the walls they built were to keep Arabs from coming in – not from going out.
One counter: You say that borders are settled by wars and treaties. But then you say that “the Jerusalem issue” is settled. That assumes that the war is over and there’s a treaty on it. But the wars never seem to end, and to the best of my knowledge there is no treaty settling “the Jerusalem issue” between all claimants.
On the one hand, yes, “open air concentration camp” is a tendentious descriptor in certain respects.
On the other hand, no, the term “concentration camp” is not synonymous with the Nazi death camps. In fact, the term was brought into use by the British during the Boer War to describe areas where they “concentrated” the Boer population, excluding them from other parts of South Africa. Just like Israel attempts to “concentrate” the Arab population of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza territories it either occupies continuously or invades periodically, mostly excluding them from the part of Palestine Israel claims for itself. So it’s not an entirely false description.
There is in fact a country — by which I assume you mean a Westphalian nation-state — called Palestine, with recognition by the UN and most UN member states.
But I didn’t refer to a country or state of Palestine. I just referred to Palestine which is, and has long been, a regional non-state descriptor for an area which includes all of Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, and much of Jordan.
I believe “concentration camp” is an appropriate description and consistent with the original usage of the term. The indigenous population of Palestine was expelled by the Zionists and relocated to Gaza. And to suggest that “The people of Gaza are basically self sufficient.” is absurd. The population depends heavily on aid from the outside and what and who can enter the strip is strictly controlled by Egypt and the Zionist enterprise.
A thousand fools do not make a wise man.