The Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act

by Stephen Lendman

Three Republican neocon senators, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Dean Heller, introduced legislation to move America's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The measure withholds certain State Department funding until the move is completed. Trump promised he'd relocate it where it doesn't belong.

Jerusalem is an international city under a UN Trusteeship Council, established in 1947 before Israel became a state. No country recognizing Israel has its embassy there.

America would be the first, breaching international law if it makes the move. In a written statement, Cruz lied claiming "Jerusalem is the eternal and undivided capital of Israel," deplorably calling Jerusalem "the appropriate venue for the American embassy in Israel…"

In 1995, Congress passed legislation, mandating the US embassy's move to Jerusalem, allowing presidents a waiver. Each one kept America's embassy in Tel Aviv, citing national security interests.

Last September, Trump told Netanyahu if elected, his "administration would finally accept the long-standing congressional mandate to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel."

Legislation introduced by Cruz, Rubio and Heller calls for making the move, along with recognizing Jerusalem as "the undivided capital of the State of Israel, both de jure and de facto," adding:

"(E)very citizen of Israel should have the right to reside anywhere in the undivided city," US documents to recognize it as Israel's exclusive capital.

Longstanding State Department policy calls for determining its status after completing final status Israeli/Palestinian talks, requiring both sides to agree on what's decided.

Moving America's embassy to Jerusalem would destroy Trump's promised peace process before initiating it.

It would show Washington will never respect fundamental Palestinian rights as long as its embassy is lawlessly where it doesn't belong.

It would make America and Israel greater pariah states than already. It would intensify indignation against occupation harshness. It could ignite a third intifada, blood in the streets to follow, Palestinians unwilling to accept the affront.

It would arouse more sympathy for their cause, possibly alienate the Arab world with Israel gaining control over the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site.

Moving America's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would be a lawless, harebrained stunt, an act of stupidity, recklessness few outside Israel and Washington will support.

Hopefully Trump will back off from beginning his administration by committing an intolerable affront to an entire people.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

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