Should the U.S. move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem? | The Tylt
President Trump is reportedly ready to fulfill his campaign pledge to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move is highly controversial—Jerusalem is not internationally recognized as the capital of Israel. Supporters say the move is a necessary public display of support for Israel, which has seen its public standing nose-dive amid continued settlement expansion in the West Bank. Opponents say the move is pointless and only fuels anger in the region. What do you think?

Moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem would be like pouring gasoline on a fire to put it out. The Palestinian National Authority claims East Jerusalem—including the Temple Mount—as its capital. Israel claims the entirety of Jerusalem as its capital. The United Nations has declared Israel's claim to the entirety of Jerusalem as a violation of international law and envisions Jerusalem being the shared capital of the Israeli and the Palestinian state. A lot of things could go wrong here.
Because of the unanimous international consensus regarding the status of Jerusalem, no international embassies to Israel are currently located in the city, and almost all are in Tel Aviv. This has always been true of the United States and other major powers, although 24 countries did once have embassies in or near West Jerusalem. However, after Israel’s purported annexation of this occupied territory, in violation, as the U.N. Security Council has repeatedly pointed out, of “the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war,” these missions were eventually all relocated. Should the United States move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, therefore, it would be taking the lead in abrogating an international consensus that has held for almost 70 years.Moving the U.S. embassy is a purely symbolic gesture that will have very real and consequential effects in the real world. It's not worth it.
Other gestures, short of a calamitous actual relocation, are also possible, as is the most likely and advisable course: the repetition of what other presidents have done in the past, which is abandon the campaign promise because it is bad for American policy, very dangerous for Israel’s national security, devastating to prospects for peace, and a gift to Iran and other nefarious actors.
Moving the embassy to Jerusalem would signal to Israel that the U.S. remains its closest ally.
Moving the embassy to Jerusalem, experts say, could please Israeli Jews who believe it would signal that the U.S. recognizes Israel’s claim to the entirety of the city. It could also reassure the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the Obama administration allowed the adoption of a United Nations Security Council resolution that condemns Israel’s settlement construction.
Relocation the embassy would be a break from the international norm, but that's exactly what Trump promised to do. Some experts think that the move would not be as incendiary as is claimed.
Schanzer counters that if the Trump administration were to move the U.S. Embassy, it would likely relocate it to West Jerusalem—which has been a part of Israel since its inception and would continue to be under any realistic peace deal.
So, Schanzer says, such a move should not limit negotiations of a peace deal even if East Jerusalem is eventually ceded to the Palestinians as their capital.
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“There is no reason why you couldn’t still negotiate a peace plan,” Schanzer said. “After all, moving an embassy does not change any of the core issues in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. These are still bilateral issues that have to be resolved.”
There're good reasons why not 1 country has its embassy in J'slem & even Trump won't risk the global backlash https://t.co/14C2yoon0W
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) January 23, 2017
Want a 4th Intifada? Worse then 1st 3? Go Ahead & Move U.S. Embassy to Occupied Jerusalem, both sides will sufferhttps://t.co/lb2ehYCiQ9 pic.twitter.com/vY4E7ULBGv
— Abbs Winston (@AbbsWinston) December 23, 2016
oh just what we need to make a bad situation even worse. while we're at, let's move the US embassy to Jerusalem and throw more gas on it all https://t.co/o5N9MHl0su
— Geoffrey Walker (@geoffreywlx) January 24, 2017
Ok it's time to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem we don't let anyone tell us not to do stuff any more.
— Deplorable VETERAN (@JohnSalsbury3) January 24, 2017
White House announces it is in early stages of moving Embassy to Jerusalem. Fabulous. How do you like them apples Hamas? #israel
— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) January 22, 2017
Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem is YUGE. The US has never shown this level of support for Israel. We are watching history. 🇺🇸🇮🇱🇺🇸 https://t.co/a67pFY0IqW
— Will Paul (@shannonsbeau) January 23, 2017