January 23, 2017
How Trump can move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem
For years, presidential candidates have promised to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem only to renege after entering office. President Donald Trump appears serious about breaking this precedent, and there is rampant speculation in the Israeli press that he may announce this move in the next few days.
Moving the embassy would upend 50 years of American policy, which has held that the issue of Jerusalem can be negotiated only between Israelis and Palestinians. It’s a high-stakes move, and, given the religious sensitivity around it, it could spark violence targeted at American diplomatic facilities across the Middle East. But Trump could fulfill his pledge, while mitigating some negative consequences, if he were to pair it with another radical move: formal recognition of the state of Palestine. On the surface, such a move may seem entirely unrealistic. But for a deal-maker like Trump who wants to shake up policy across the U.S. government, it could represent an attractive compromise.
The underlying dispute in the U.S. on this issue is less about whether Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel. Since 1996, both party platforms have called for acknowledging Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Instead, the dispute is strategic about whether moving the U.S. Embassy would help—or set back—the prospect for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Read the full article at Politico.
More from CNAS
-
Commentary
President Biden’s recent Middle East tour was vital in presenting U.S. foreign policy in the region. Other geopolitical developments including the killing of al Qaeda leader A...
By Anna Pederson, John O'Malley & Arona Baigal
-
Video
Richard Fontaine joins BBC World News to discuss U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's recent trip to Taiwan amid tensions with China. Watch the full interview from BBC....
By Richard Fontaine
-
Commentary
When defense ministries in need of reform are left to their own devices, institutional weakness and corruption ultimately produces hollow armies....
By Jonathan Lord
-
Legacies of Repression in Egypt and Tunisia: Authoritarianism, Political Mobilization, and Founding Elections
About the Book: When an authoritarian regime collapses, what determines whether an opposition group will form a political party, be successful in mobilizing voters, and surviv...
By Alanna C. Torres-Van Antwerp