Posted on 12/06/2017 2:20:42 PM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
Ever since he announced his candidacy, conservative critics of Donald Trump have been put off by his willingness — at times, eagerness -- to smash norms. But us critics also should acknowledge that there are cases in which norms need to be smashed. President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is one of those cases and he deserves praise for his decision.
For decades, the United States has perpetuated the fiction that there is some vagueness over the location of the capital of Israel. The U.S. Congress, in 1995, voted overwhelmingly to declare that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and to pressure the president to move the U.S. embassy there. Presidential candidates have promised to move the embassy there, only to balk once they got into office and heard the warnings and threats coming from Palestinians, the international community, and the Washington foreign policy community. Over the course of that time, in which the U.S. president remained intentionally vague at the behest of the so-called experts, there has been no progress toward peace.
By recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Trump was just acknowledging reality. Beyond the fact that Jerusalem has been central to Judaism for over 3,000 years, it is in the most practical sense where the modern Israeli government is based -- and that is not changing.
In response to the decision, there has been an outcry from the usual suspects and lots of fiery rhetoric from Palestinians and talk about the end of the peace process. But there was no real peace process. And furthermore, any peace deal would have to recognize an Israeli capital in Jerusalem, even if that deal involved ceding the eastern part of Jerusalem to Palestinians. If the reaction of Palestinians to Trump acknowledging an obvious reality is to turn to violence, then that is on them, not on Trump.
From the establishment of the Jewish state, the operative Palestinian Arab position has consistently been to reject the idea of a Jewish presence in the region. Palestinians have rejected every opportunity to have a state of their own because they have clung to the hope that they would eventually be able to outlast Israel -- as long as they held out long enough. And President Obama, who came to office with the intention of creating "daylight" between the U.S. and Israel and left office tacitly backing the UN effort to condemn Jews building homes in Jerusalem, gave Palestinians every reason to reject the peace process and up their demands.
Trump has put them on notice that the U.S. acknowledges that there is nothing temporary or ad hoc about Israel -- that it is there to stay and it's capital is Jerusalem. If there is to be peace, it's up to Palestinians to negotiate from a starting position that accepts this reality.
Did anyone watch Shep today? He must have been in tears or livid, probably both.
If I may, let me interpret.
Trump shoved his thumb in Soros’ eye.
Squared up to that fk.
Shep has daddy issues, butt not like you think.
EXACTLY what the doctor ordered. Those cancerous, diseased "norms" of political correctness need to be nuked out of existence.
Trump and REAL American patriots: the enemy of political correctness which is the enemy of our Free Constitutional Republic. God bless President Trump.
As long as Trump stays strong, over time many who may have opposed him on ideological grounds will come to respect him for standing his ground. Once that happens, there’s no way he won’t get re-elected.
BBC’s Yalda Hakim will be all hot and bothered tomorrow ,LOL
Oh stopth it you sillyth goose...Shepth isth my man and we loveth him at Foxth! /S
More WINNING!
As a Jew I find it weird to say “everyday is like Christmas” but we have no equivalent. Things certainly have changed since January 20.
“But us”
Wow - lol
“Smash Norms” my ass!
He’s showing he smashes excuses for failure!
Guessing he probably meant to type “his critics”.
Or “we.”
Overall a good article. Needs proofreading or a review of grammar, though.
God bless President Trump.
**
Amen.
MAGA
While you have him in custody, write him up for this one.
it’s capital is Jerusalem
LOL
Yep, WINNING
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