 Jerusalem is sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. Photo: AFP/VNA |
“I have decided that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.” Trump’s announcement, made on Wednesday, has ignited protests from the international community.
Many countries have warned that the US’s unilateral move dangerous and could destroy the peace efforts being brokered by the US.
Jerusalem – a tenacious problem of global politics
Over the past 70 years, a two-state solution has been the international community’s first answer to the Israel-Palestine conflict over territory. On November 29th, 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181 dividing Palestine into two states of the Jews and Palestinians. A few months later, international law allowed Israel to establish a Jewish government and granted Israel statehood with full membership rights within international organizations like the UN.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians have never had their state officially recognized. In the 1967 war, 87% of Palestine’s territory, including East Jerusalem, was occupied by Israel. Since then, Israel has considered all of Jerusalem its capital city. The Palestinians insist that East Jerusalem should be the capital of their future state.
The Palestine-Israel peace talks have deadlocked and unrest and violence have been continuous. Little progress has been achieved since the US started brokering talks in the past few years. Many believe a two-state solution which ensures peace, democracy and sovereignty within the pre-1967 borders, is the logical first step to a permanent peace.
More and more countries have recognized a Palestinian state. This is a hopeful sign there can be a solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict. On November 30th, 151 members of the UN General Assembly passed a resolution protesting Israel’s occupation of Jerusalem.
Fears of new violence
The international community refuses to recognize Israeli sovereignty over all of Jerusalem. The US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and its plan to move its embassy there has fanned the flames of conflict in the region.
Jerusalem is sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. Always a complicated historical and political issue, Jerusalem has also become a racial religious and security issue. Trump’s decision has turned around all international efforts to achive a lasting peace between Palestine and Israel, and could be used by terrorists to incite violence in the region and push the Middle East into a new whirlpool of chaos.