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.
I hearing other countries are now considering moving their embassies to Jerusalem.
Follow the leader..
With more embassies in Jerusalem, various terrorist groups may have to tamp their activities down lest attacks in Jerusalem be interpreted as attacks against embassies’ home countries.
Ever read the novel Dune?
30,000 or so years in the future humanity has become stagnant and closer to extinction than it realizes. Because the triumvirate of political power (the Emperor, the Spacing Guild and the mercantiles) have always "played it safe" and enforced the status quo. As a result there is no more vibrancy among the human realm. Not until Paul Atreides/Muad'Dib and later his son Leto II shake things up irrevocably.
Much like what Trump is doing now. For better or for worse, the world NEEDED this mind of agitation.
Media and their ‘layers of editors.’
I thought that at first too.
Yep, Pali beebers are stuned and a camel bit their sister.
Heh... I dated a JAP in college so I know they dont dislike gentiles... but they don’t marry them unless they whine a LOT to the family. Maintenance though... very very high. They are wild and a lot of fun but I was glad it was just a Jewish version of rumspringa. The shoes, the handbags, the clothes, the trips, the restaurants... all on daddys dime.
She flew me to NJ once for I forget which Jewish holiday with a feast, but her NJ criminal defense lawyer dad and mom. I felt like I was witnessing a Sopranos episode with no Italian food.
Whewwww.... that's way out out there.
PS. I like that you step up as their husbands and we are not forced to do so. ;-)
BTW... Merry Merry Long Overdue Christmas.
Hip Hip, “Horah”
heheheheh
My God. Such utter bullshit!
The lengths these cowardly bastards will go to keep from admitting the only problem with Israel is the institutional racism inherent to islam.
“The Palestinians” are nothing more to the Arabs than their excuse for interfering in the affairs of a country in which they have NO legitimate geopolitical interest.
I grocked Trumps willingness to smash norms in June of 2015, not halfway through his speech.
An iconoclast. Of abominable icons.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.