Thread: Jerusalem embassy: Why Trump's move was not about peace

Jerusalem embassy: Why Trump's move was not about peace

By Barbara Plett Usher BBC State Dept correspondent, Washington

1 hour ago

"Our greatest hope is for peace." Those were the words of Donald Trump in a recorded message at the Jerusalem ceremony.

But the opening line in White House talking points cut straight to the top priority: "President Donald J Trump keeps his promise."

Mr Trump decided to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem because he likes to keep campaign promises made to his base.

He also likes to make big bold historic moves, especially if that means delivering where his predecessors did not.

So far so good on the principles of Trumpian foreign policy.

In this case, his base also lobbied hard for the move. That included right-wing American Jews whose message was amplified by the conservative orthodox Jews dominating Mr Trump's inner circle.

It also included evangelicals whose voice was amplified by the devout Christian in the White House, Vice-President Mike Pence.

"God decided Jerusalem was the capital of Israel more than 3,000 years ago during the time of King David," I was told by Dallas evangelical pastor Robert Jeffress, who cited Biblical history. He and another leading voice in the pro-Israel part of the Christian world delivered prayers at the opening ceremony.

So what about the peace process?

"The United States remains fully committed to facilitating a lasting peace agreement," Mr Trump also said in his recorded message.

He has declared an interest in solving the "toughest deal of all" and, despite the outrage over Jerusalem, the White House is still intent on rolling out a detailed initiative of a settlement it thinks is achievable.

Its authors - Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his lawyer Jason Greenblatt - concluded that shaking up the status quo could help their efforts by giving the Palestinians a dose of reality, says former Mid-East negotiator Aaron David Miller.

They also thought the Palestinians would eventually rally and resume contact after their initial shock and anger, according to the New York Times. So far they have not.

The administration argues it is simply recognising the obvious in accepting Jerusalem as Israel's capital and that the city's final boundaries can still be determined in negotiations.

But confusingly, Mr Trump has also said he has taken the issue "off the table". And he has failed to say anything about Palestinian claims to East Jerusalem.

So whatever the intent, he appears to have sided with Israel on one of the most volatile issues in the peace process and prejudiced the final outcome of any talks.

Does this mean an explosion?

The Trump administration has also sided with Israel in its response to the deadly violence on the Gaza border.

The White House accused Gaza's Hamas leaders of "intentionally and cynically" provoking Israel in an attempt at "gruesome propaganda" but, unlike European countries, it did not call on the army to exercise restraint.

Hamas has been directing the weeks-long protest campaign by Palestinians frustrated with Israel's economic blockade of Gaza.

Analysts said it was a chance for the militant Islamist movement to shift the blame for its own poor performance in government.

The question now is whether the hundreds of casualties will trigger an uprising, or intifada, that spreads to the West Bank.

The Jerusalem decision itself did not do so and there are many reasons why the Gaza violence may not. That includes divisions in the Palestinian leadership and the high cost for Palestinians of a return to sustained conflict.

But it is a volatile situation with the risk of escalation.

Crossing a red line?

What seems more likely to me at the moment is a slower unravelling of the peace process framework which for the past 25 years has led to neither peace nor all-out war.

Despite spasms of conflict, it has maintained certain fundamentals.

The Israelis have not annexed the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority continues security co-operation, in effect helping Israel police its own people.

The framework is held up by an American mediator seen as credible, if not neutral.

Every previous US administration has been pro-Israel but made some effort to understand and respond to the Palestinian narrative, says Mr Miller.

This one is so "deeply ensconced" in the Israeli narrative it has crossed a red line, he says.

If so, it will be difficult for it to keep propping up the framework, with unpredictable results.

It is true that key Arab countries seem more willing to sanction a settlement less favourable to the Palestinians than before because they want Israel as an ally against Iran.

But Mr Trump's decision on Jerusalem, a city also holy to Muslims, reduces their room for manoeuvre.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44120428

The Palestinians are screwing up. By participating in these demonstration, protests, fire burning, running around a barren field like a bunch of morons trying to breach the border, setting off explosives, throwing molotov cocktails against the Israeli Army that is on FULL ALERT to protect dignitaries vising Israel for the dedication ceremony of the US Embassy? You're too stupid for peace. You're losing sympathy you may at one time had. I always supported your cause, but you lost me today, because today you protested the absolute right of the United States, my country, to put OUR Embassy anywhere we want.

We wanted to put it in the capital of Israel, Jerusalem, the same type of capital where we put all US Embassies. There is no reason at all for the United States to treat Israel like some black sheep or wayward step-child when we have US Embassies in almost every country of the world including those run by dictators and involved in civil wars and border disputes and all of them are in the country's capital. To treat Israel any differently is discrimination. So glad THAT's over.

You idiots in Palestine had a wonderful opportunity for peace, prosperity and a normal life. Today you proved you're too stupid to handle any of it so just sit there and rot in squalor for another 70 years. Your choice.

They can rot another 70 years with NO taxpayer money from the USA.

I do not want to feed their nasty faces another 70 years!

Breed, feed, fight, die, breed, feed, fight, die, breed, feed, fight, die...how's that working out for you all??? Not so much.

Live in filth and squalor ... we are sick of all this fighting and money pit.

NO MORE US BLOOD AND NO MORE US TREASURE

Exactly!! It's time for the Palestinians to either throw away their molotov cocktails and disgusting tire burning, trade them in for some pen and paper, and sit down with the US and Israel to work out a peace agreement OR just spend another 70 years being stupid, violent fools. And if you think things are rough now, wait until the sanctions go on Iran to stop their money. Your futures are quite bleak because of your own arrogance, violence and radically dumb choices.

BTTT.