PRESIDENT Reckless to play with match on a powder keg
If United States President Donald Trump’s previous foreign policy moves have by and large been driven by putting “America first”, his intention to formally recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and later move the US embassy there would be best described as ill-advised – more accurately dangerously foolhardy if carried out.
Whatever motivated his announcement, the potential consequences surely make it too costly to be put into action by anyone listening to reason.
Of course, it may be intended to shift public attention at home, even temporarily, away from the investigation which has now snared his former security adviser Michael Flynn. It may be intended to please his supporters and backers. And, of course, the Israeli government applauds it. But what are the other drawbacks?
It is not going to advance US national interests. Nor will it further efforts to secure peace in the Middle East.
President Trump has an understandable eagerness to accomplish something big. So after declaring past engagement with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or North Korea, a “failure”, his administration has reportedly concluded that “delaying the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has done nothing to achieve peace”, ignoring such recognition’s potential to put an end to any prospect of that being attainable.
Despite proud confidence in himself as an exceptional deal maker and someone who makes a difference, it is extremely dangerous for Trump to continue assuming knots of history are simple to unravel as he believes. No country has an embassy in Jerusalem – and for good reason.
Admittedly, the idea of relocating the US embassy to Jerusalem was first proposed way before Trump began to play with it. The US Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act in 1995, requiring the relocation while pragmatically giving presidents the power to delay it. It has been delayed all the way until now, and not on an idle whim.
Past administrations demonstrated common prudence on the matter because of their shared awareness of the dire consequences that would result from doing otherwise. Long-standing US policy has rightly been that Jerusalem’s final status must be decided through negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Trump has received warnings from around the world of the dire consequences that would result from carrying out the relocation. Choosing to disregard their wise counsel means he will not only be going back on his words to Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas about his commitment to facilitate an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal and his administration’s pursuit of the “ultimate deal”, but he will also effectively upend that policy and open a Pandora’s box of
turmoil in the region that experience suggests will be felt worldwide.