On Wednesday December 6, Donald Trump said that he would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Trump’s decision sparked many reactions around the world.
There are global implications that come with this decision. It was done in such an unpredictable fashion. There was much more to it than just announcing that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel. Having a plan of what he wanted to do with the Palestinians, Israelis and Jerusalem is one thing, but this was just something announced overnight. How do you go from this random decision to then having any kind of role in a proper negotiation process.
This decision is fundamentally flawed because we should be working with Israel and our Arab partners on how to strengthen security and stability in the region and this is a great distraction from that effort. Many countries including Turkey, Jordan, and more disapproved Trump’s decision.
Donald Trump himself doesn’t really understand the policy. When his own team were talking to him about the implications of this, he just wanted to seem pro-Israel and keep and campaign process. This decision does not make him pro-Israel. The long term implications of this decision aren’t necessarily good for Israel.
All but two of 11 former United States ambassadors to Israel thought the plan was dangerous and deeply flawed. James Cunningham (former US ambassador to Israel) said, “This is a serious mistake. The Trump Administration now has a high bar to overcome if they’re arguing now that this step was taken in pursued of advancing the peace process or advancing stability in the region, they certainly have yet to demonstrate or to make a convincing argument that that’s the case.”
The status of Jerusalem is perhaps the most sensitive and contentious issue in the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Palestinians president “Mahmoud Abbas” stated, “we reject the American decision over Jerusalem. With this position the united states has become no longer qualified to sponsor the peace process.”
There are 320,000 Christian and Muslim Palestinians in East Jerusalem who live under military occupation but have considered Jerusalem their home for centuries. This was a symbolic slap in the face for many Arab Palestinians.
Trump’s actions have created mass violence around the world. Many protests occurred in Palestine and according to CNN these protests ended with 2 Palestinians shot by Israeli police officers. Dozens of others were injured, including a 6 month old child. Protests also flared across the world after trump’s Jerusalem decision. Hani Allaf is a Syrian who participated in the protest that took place in Toronto, Canada.
“Arabs, Christians, and Muslims alike, hold Jerusalem very dear to their hearts because of its religious significance. Losing it to an apartheid regime is symbolic of the official loss of the entire Palestinian land. Such a decision would have dangerous consequences to the peace process and to the peace, security, and stability of the region and of the world”.
Many Middle Easterns united after hearing about this decision and stood together to defend Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital.
There should be more awareness about this subject. It did get media coverage but not as much as it should have. This decision has created a situation of instability in the region and in the world. Trump will soon realize the chaos he has made.
