Should the U.S. move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem? | The Tylt

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.

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.”