Thread: Trump to announce Jerusalem as capital of Israel

December 2, 2017 09:07

The Trump administration plans on rolling out a detailed proposal for peace in the coming months.

US President Donald Trump will announce that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, several US media organizations reported on Friday.

The reports note that Trump will not accompany the announcement with a final decision to relocate the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. They do not detail whether Trump will explain whether Jerusalem is Israel’s capital in part or in whole— one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict long left to the parties to negotiate in a final status settlement.


It would be an unprecedented move which Palestinian Authority officials are already warning would kill the burgeoning peace process in the womb. The Trump administration plans on rolling out a detailed proposal for peace in the coming months.

Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser leading the administration’s peace effort, will speak on their plans at a Brookings Institution forum over the weekend.

US media separately reported on Friday that Kushner may be embroiled in the indictment and ultimately plea agreement of Michael Flynn in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the US election. The reports claim that Flynn lied to the FBI about contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the US over a UN Security Council resolution on Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank last December, on which he was allegedly in communication with Kushner.

The Israeli government asked Trump’s team to intervene as that resolution was making its way toward a vote, and as the Obama administration was signaling it would allow its passage. It was before Trump’s inauguration, and thus Kushner and Flynn were still private citizens.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Tru...-Israel-515795

Arab states will likely cave if US declares Jerusalem Israel's capital

December 3, 2017 22:43Unless domestic reaction becomes unexpectedly explosive, Riyadh, Cairo and Amman can be expected to confine their responses to verbal missives that will soon subside.

If the Palestinians are counting on a strong response from Arab states if the Trump administration recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital, they are likely to be disappointed.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyadh Malki called Sunday for an emergency meeting of the Arab League amid US media reports that Trump is planning to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital Wednesday. Malki said the meeting would tackle "necessary steps regarding this irresponsible American measure."



But the bitter reality for the Palestinians is that key Arab countries—Saudi Arabia, Egypt and even Jordan with its Palestinian majority and role as custodian of Jerusalem holy sites- are simply too dependent on US goodwill to get into a real row with the Trump administration. This is a case where each of their national interests trumps Arab solidarity.
Unless domestic reaction becomes unexpectedly explosive, Riyadh, Cairo and Amman can be expected to confine their responses to verbal missives that will soon subside.

"They will at least pretend to be objecting vociferously but as long as he doesn't move the embassy, they will put up with it after a few days of protesting," says Gabriel Ben-Dor, a Middle East specialist at Haifa University. "The moderate Arab states will understand this is a compromise for Trump between his commitments and the practical realities. They'll protest vocally, but that's all."

Given close Saudi-US ties, Riyadh may even be expected by Washington to temper the anger of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas over the step, according to Brandon Friedman, a Saudi specialist at Tel Aviv University's Dayan Center.
"If the rumors are true about tight US-Saudi coordination and a back channel between Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and [Trump adviser] Jared Kushner, the Saudis may be expected to reach out to the Palestinian Authority and to manage Abbas. One imagines that at the beginning there will be a lot of aggressive rhetoric among the Palestinians if the US goes ahead with this. But if the US coordinates with the Saudis, it could be their job to reassure the Palestinians, to get them to back away from the most provocative things they could do and to manage them. But that will be a tall order."

The Saudis can be expected to put their own strategic interests before the Palestinian issue, Friedman says. And their main strategic interest is pushing back against what they perceive as Iranian expansion in the region — be it in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen or Syria. For this they need Washington, and they are hoping the Trump administration will take a more combative posture toward Iran than its predecessor. This need is more important to them than tangibly backing the Palestinians in a dispute with Washington.

Still, Friedman adds that "it is way too early to say the Saudis will throw the Palestinians under the bus. To say that we need to know more about the American step, what it means and how it effects any final status agreement."

Jordan's response will likely also be a function of its dependence on the US.

Jordan Times columnist Daoud Kuttab said in a phone interview from Amman that the US recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital would likely trigger demonstrations called by professional unions, parties and the Muslim Brotherhood. Parliament can be expected to make a very strong statement, he added.

But beyond issuing its own statement, there is not much the palace can do, he said. "I don't think they can do much about the US because they need the US for financial support" Kuttab said. "They can make clear it's not conducive to peace and that as custodian of the holy places, Jordan will oppose it."

Jordan received 1.4 billion dollars in aid in 2017.

Kuttab said the fact that the US embassy in Israel is not being moved and the fact that the Israeli embassy, a magnet for demonstrations, is closed may temper the protests. "People look for what is actionable rather than statements. The fact that it looks like the embassy move is being postponed means the US is giving lip service, though it is a violation of international law, its own laws and its own commitment."

Arab states will likely cave if US declares Jerusalem Israel's capital - Arab-Israeli Conflict - Jerusalem Post

Jordan begins diplomatic offensive ahead of Trump move on Jerusalem

AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan has begun consultations on convening an emergency meeting of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation before an expected move this week by U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a senior Jordanian source said.
A senior U.S. administration official said on Friday that Trump was likely to make the controversial declaration in a speech on Wednesday. Recognizing Jerusalem would upend decades of American policy and possibly inflame tensions in the Middle East.
Jordan, the current president of the Arab summit, would invite members of the two bodies to convene if the recognition is extended, to “discuss ways of dealing with the consequences of such a decision that raised alarm and concern”, the senior Jordanian diplomatic source told Reuters.
“It could ultimately hamper all efforts to get the peace process moving and would certainly be provocative to Arab and Muslim countries and Muslim communities across the West,” said the source, asking not to be named.

“No issue can move Arabs and Muslims in the same potent way as Jerusalem does.”
King Abdullah’s Hashemite dynasty is the custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, making Amman sensitive to any changes of status of the disputed city.
Officials are worried the move could trigger violence in the Palestinian territories and a spillover into Jordan, a country where many people are descendants of Palestinian refugees whose families left after the creation of Israel in 1948.
“A tremendous wave of anger will spread across the Arab and Muslim world,” said another regional diplomatic source in touch with U.S. officials on the issue.
Tensions in Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa compound, the third holiest site in Islam, earlier this year provoked days of unrest.
Word of Trump’s planned announcement, which would deviate from the line taken by previous U.S. presidents who insisted Jerusalem’s status must be decided in negotiations, drew criticism from the Palestinian Authority.
The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and the international community does not recognize Israel’s claim on all of the city, home to sites holy to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions.
Jordan lost East Jerusalem and the West Bank to Israel during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and says the city’s fate should only be decided only at the end of a final settlement.
King Abdullah warned of the repercussions of Trump’s expected move in talks this week in Washington with top administration officials.
Trump suggested earlier this year he was open to new ways to achieve Middle East peace that did not necessarily entail the creation of a Palestinian state, a hallmark of U.S. policy for decades.
“If it happens (recognition of Jerusalem) it will jeopardize all efforts towards stability and peace in the region and thwart a resolution of the conflict,” the regional diplomatic source said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-j...-idUSKBN1DX0OY

Originally Posted by HermantheGerman

The Trump administration plans on rolling out a detailed proposal for peace

Originally Posted by HermantheGerman

US President Donald Trump will announce that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel,

Those two statements are so diametrically opposite, it's laughable.
If it happens, and I somehow think that it is such high folly that it won't, Trump will have sealed his position, already firmly cemented, as the worst US president ever, and is unlikely to be unseated, ever.

Let's see what will happen on Wednesday . Trump is always good for a good deed.

Trump still weighing whether to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital: Kushner

December 3, 2017 / 6:46 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has not yet made a decision on whether to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner said on Sunday, a move that would break with decades of U.S. policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East.
“He’s still looking at a lot of different facts, and then when he makes his decision, he’ll be the one to want to tell you, not me,” Kushner said at an annual conference on U.S. policy in the Middle East organized by the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington.
A senior administration official said last week that Trump could make the announcement on Wednesday.
Kushner is leading Trump’s efforts to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, efforts that so far have shown little progress.
Past U.S. presidents have insisted that the status of Jerusalem -- home to sites holy to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions -- must be decided in negotiations. The Palestinians want Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and the international community does not recognize Israel’s claim on all of the city.
Any move by the United States to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would fuel extremism and violence, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Saturday.
A senior Jordanian source said on Sunday that Amman, the current president of the Arab summit, has begun consultations on convening an emergency meeting of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation before Trump’s expected declaration this week.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKBN1DX0PV

US President Donald Trump will announce that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel

And Jacob Zuma will announce that Annapolis is the capital of the US.

Tel aviv is the capital of America

Just more proof that israel own america, and both parties are only interested in continual war and bloodshed.

Originally Posted by pseudolus

Tel aviv is the capital of America

Just more proof that israel own america, and both parties are only interested in continual war and bloodshed.

Israel may need a little support because Iran is getting too close. Trump to the rescue ?
Alea iacta est

Israel attacks Iranian base near Damascus

Syrian sources report Israeli Air Force attack near Damascus, causing power outages, loud explosions in capital, suburbs; Assad regime retaliates with antiaircraft fire, with 3 of 5 missiles reportedly downed; Lebanese paper reports Israel conducted dummy raids over Lebanon, one of which was used to attack the base.
Arab media outlets reported Saturday Israel attacked an Iranian base near the town of al-Kiswah, 15 kilometers southwest of Syrian capital Damascus. Arab-language Sky News reported that Israeli fighter jets launched air-to-surface missiles from Lebanese airspace at the compound.
Syrian state television corroborated the report, saying Israeli missiles struck a military position near Damascus overnight and Syria's air defense system thwarted them.
"The Israeli enemy launched...several surface-to-surface missiles towards a military position," state television said, adding there had been "material losses" at the site.

A BBC report revealed the base's existence three weeks ago, showing satellite images of the compound, located 50 kilometers from the Israeli Golan Heights. Media outlets affiliated with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime and with Hezbollah reported the jets attacked a stockpile of ammunition belonging to the Syrian Army's First Division between the towns of Sahnaya and al-Kiswah.
The attack was carried out using five missiles, whereas antiaircraft systems deployed in a military airport in the Mezzeh neighborhood of the Syrian capital were able to shoot down three of them. The remaining two missiles detonated near the cache. The Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese Al Akhbar newspaper reported the Israeli jets conducted several dummy raids over Lebanese territory, with one of them used to attack the stockpiles, which were located in a vast military complex larger in size than Lebanese capital Beirut, the report said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported loud explosions clearly audibly throughout Damascus and its outliers and light flashes seen around the capital. The Observatory further reported power outages in many areas of the Syrian capital.
Opposition sources, meanwhile, posted unconfirmed reports to social media that the attack was aimed at a Hezbollah outpost near the 91st Brigade of the Syrian Army's First Division.
The BBC network originally reported satellite imagery three weeks ago it said showed construction work being done on the base near al-Kiswah, between January and October of this year. The images showed more than 20 relatively short buildings the network said were most likely used as barracks for soldiers and to house vehicles.
This past summer, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said intelligence reports showed Iran was ramping up its expansion in Syria.



"The Mossad chief gave the government a review of the security threats Israel faces. I'll summarize in one sentence: the Islamic State moves out while Iran moves in. It's quite simple. We're mostly talking about Syria here. We are vehemently opposed to the military entrenchment of Iran and its satellites—first and foremost Hezbollah—in Syria, and we'll do whatever it takes to preserve Israel's security," the prime minister said in August.






In the past four years dozens of attacks in Syria were attributed by various media outlets to Israel, usually reporting the aim was to hinder efforts to transfer relatively advanced—or "balance-breaking"—weaponry to Hezbollah.

Is Tony Blair still the middle East peace envoy or been replaced? Anyway looks like Trump has similar credentials for the job as Blair had if he's looking for another job after POTUS.

The U.S. Gets to determine where other countries capitals will be now? WTF?

Originally Posted by Cujo

The U.S. Gets to determine where other countries capitals will be now? WTF?

It's actually more the converse; Telling another country (Palestine) where their capital will NOT be.

Actually has the ring of fake news. I think Trump could be trolling the MSM.

Why not? After all, the East Jerusalem is a part of Israel(i) (occupied territory of Palestine over 40 years).

Originally Posted by Cujo

The U.S. Gets to determine where other countries capitals will be now? WTF?

This is fake news , the U.S is just contemplating moving their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem .
Jerusalem is already Israels Capital

Originally Posted by Klondyke

Why not? After all, the East Jerusalem is a part of Israel(i) (occupied territory of Palestine over 40 years).

West Jerusalem is part of Israel proper

Originally Posted by Cujo

The U.S. Gets to determine where other countries capitals will be now? WTF?

Actually I don't give a flying f..k about what status the U.S. gives Jerusalem.
But why do we/I always get threatened by these people ?

Palestinians warn "world will pay the price" for any change in Jerusalem's status

Originally Posted by HermantheGerman

Actually I don't give a flying f..k about what status the U.S. gives Jerusalem.
But why do we/I always get threatened by these people ?

By who are you threatened? Just curious...

Originally Posted by Klondyke

By who are you threatened? Just curious...

Why don't you read the whole post you idiot.

Palestinians warn "world will pay the price" for any change in Jerusalem's status

Originally Posted by Fluke

Israel proper

Please define the borders of said "Israel proper".

Now that I can believe.

Originally Posted by Fluke

This is fake news , the U.S is just contemplating moving their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem .
Jerusalem is already Israels Capital

Vanuata recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital earlier this year, while the Vatican would like it to be an international city under UN guidance, both contra to the UN which has already designated the city in line with Palestinian aspirations as their capital. I can't see it being shared, or open, which disqualifies a claim by either side.

That said, Trump is under pressure to start realising some of his campaign promises, and once he does announce recognition, which I believe is certain, with or without relocating his embassy though he should be obliged to do so, this will not only kick off the next intafada but also trigger severe global repercussions.

Imho he's messing with stuff he does not understand.

Originally Posted by Maanaam

Please define the borders of said "Israel proper".

Already been defined by most of the world through the UN. Last year's landmark resolution made clear that Israeli settlement is a “flagrant violation” of international law, which in this case is governed by the UN, and has “no legal validity”. Therefore, all activity in the occupied territories since 1967 are illegal and it follows that the legal borders are pre-67.

Originally Posted by jabir

Already been defined by most of the world through the UN. Last year's landmark resolution made clear that Israeli settlement is a “flagrant violation” of international law, which in this case is governed by the UN, and has “no legal validity”. Therefore, all activity in the occupied territories since 1967 are illegal and it follows that the legal borders are pre-67.

U.N. ??
Who cares or respects what the U.N. says ?

Jerusalem is already Israels Capital

By the same measure, it is also the capital of Palestine. But the obvious fact is, all of the political infrastructure, including foreign Embassies, are in Ramallah & Tel Aviv.

Originally Posted by HermantheGerman

U.N. ??
Who cares or respects what the U.N. says ?

Clearly you don't, though it doesn't exist to satisfy your whims.