Israel is not going anywhere, and Jerusalem is the capital. End of subject. Let's move on to bigger, more important issues that concern us all. (Public Domain)
It's true that, during the presidential campaign, candidate Donald Trump promised that he would move our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
It's true that 60 top Christian leaders, among many others, have called on the president to keep his word.
It's true that the Republican Party platform stated, "We recognize Jerusalem as the eternal and indivisible capital of the Jewish state, and call for the American embassy to be moved there in fulfillment of U.S. law."
And it's true that in 1995, Congress officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, calling "for the U.S. Embassy to be moved there by May 31, 1999."
But to do this would upset the Muslim world, further exacerbate the peace process, and potentially foment a new wave of terror attacks against Israel. Is the risk worth the reward?
Things are fragile enough in the Middle East right now, so why alienate countries like Egypt? Why strain relationships with Saudi Arabia? Why make it more difficult to unite Muslim nations in a war against ISIS? And why add fuel to the fire of Palestinian terrorists? Why put Israeli lives at risk?
The answer is simple: 1) Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and there's probably no country on earth with a more ancient connection to its capital city. 2) We recognize the capitals of all other nations with whom we have relationships and we put our embassies there. 3) There is no legitimate reason for us not to treat Israel like every other nation on the planet. Why should we discriminate against our friend Israel, which is also our number one ally in the region?
It's true that, during the presidential campaign, candidate Donald Trump promised that he would move our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
It's true that 60 top Christian leaders, among many others, have called on the president to keep his word.
It's true that the Republican Party platform stated, "We recognize Jerusalem as the eternal and indivisible capital of the Jewish state, and call for the American embassy to be moved there in fulfillment of U.S. law."
And it's true that in 1995, Congress officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, calling "for the U.S. Embassy to be moved there by May 31, 1999."
But to do this would upset the Muslim world, further exacerbate the peace process, and potentially foment a new wave of terror attacks against Israel. Is the risk worth the reward?
Things are fragile enough in the Middle East right now, so why alienate countries like Egypt? Why strain relationships with Saudi Arabia? Why make it more difficult to unite Muslim nations in a war against ISIS? And why add fuel to the fire of Palestinian terrorists? Why put Israeli lives at risk?
The answer is simple: 1) Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and there's probably no country on earth with a more ancient connection to its capital city. 2) We recognize the capitals of all other nations with whom we have relationships and we put our embassies there. 3) There is no legitimate reason for us not to treat Israel like every other nation on the planet. Why should we discriminate against our friend Israel, which is also our number one ally in the region?