# moving US embassy to Jerusalem thread **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 7, 2017, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751 "2017-12-07T00:22:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/1 "2017-12-07T00:22:54Z")
I’ve searched and couldn’t find a thread. Certainly seems worthwhile discussing. I don’t have a strong opinion either way. A few initial thoughts to get the discussion started… The President makes a valid point that Israel is the only country that doesn’t have the US embassy in the Capital City. Congress passed a law to move it decades ago. This move has long been anticipated and it’s long overdue. Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for over forty years. It’s getting more and absurd to pretend otherwise. That should get the discussion going. I’m not heavily invested in this either way. I know there will be some angry people in the Middle East. But, they don’t set US policy. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/2 "2017-12-07T01:33:57Z")
They’re only 36 miles apart. I know people who drive that far to work every morning. What’s it matter? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/3 "2017-12-07T02:14:25Z")
I think it comes down to formally recognizing Israel’s capital. It made sense to sidestep the thorny issue after they seized full control of it following the 1967, Six-Day War. I can understand waiting 20 years. But, after 50 years, it’s a bit absurd to pretend Jerusalem isn’t the capital. I don’t live there and have no dog in this fight. I have observed the problems in Israel my entire life. The Palestinians have always been a thorny problem with no solution that both sides will accept ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/4 "2017-12-07T02:19:11Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The President makes a valid point that Israel is the only country that doesn’t have the US embassy in the Capital City. The US Embassy to The Netherlands is located in The Hague, not Amsterdam which is the capital. Of course, it should be noted that _all_ government buildings in that weirdo nation are located in The Hague. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/5 "2017-12-07T03:15:09Z")
It may not seem like a big deal to a lot of Americans, but it’s a very big deal to the Palestinians. In the interest of trying to keep the mayhem in that part of the world to a minimum, most countries have demurred on calling Jerusalem the capital, and located their embassies in Tel Aviv. This could certainly create a new shit storm in that part of the world for us to get sucked into. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/6 "2017-12-07T03:20:14Z")
Has any other, major power formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital? Is the US breaking new ground on this issue? ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/7 "2017-12-07T03:43:31Z")
Not content with fucking things up in the U.S., Trump apparently wants to leave his mark on the world stage like a dog pissing to mark its territory. He is honoring a campaign promise, but one that will almost certainly result in more needless violence, death and futile appeals to metaphysical constructs by the family and loved ones of victims. That is the short term outlook. As there is no way to predict what impact this decision will have over the longer term, Trump is essentially throwing things into the air with no guarantee they will land in a favorable (to anyone) orientation. As with W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq, way to gamble with other people’s lives! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/8 "2017-12-07T03:46:25Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’m not heavily invested in this either way. I know there will be some angry people in the Middle East. But, they don’t set US policy. The Israelis don’t set U.S. policy either. At the risk of sounding cynical, how does this move benefit the U.S.; what do we get out of it? > [@aceplace57](#): > > But, after 50 years, it’s a bit absurd to pretend Jerusalem isn’t the capital. After 58 years, should we have normal relations with the government of Cuba? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/9 "2017-12-07T03:57:53Z")
This has always been held as a bargaining chip: Stop building settlements in the West Bank and pull out some of the ones already there, procure a final peace of some sort with the Palestine folks, and you can have West Jerusalem as your capital. Trump just gave away that leverage for nothing in return. Cite: Opinion piece by Thomas L. Friedman in the New York Times, December 6, 2017. [Trump, Israel and the Art of the Giveaway](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/opinion/trump-foreign-policy-giveaway.html) > [@](#): > > I’m contemplating writing a book on the first year of President Trump’s foreign policy, and I already know the name: “The Art of the Giveaway.” > > In nearly 30 years of covering United States foreign policy, I’ve never seen a president give up so much to so many for so little, starting with China and Israel. In both the Middle Kingdom and in the Land of Israel, Christmas came early this year. The Chinese and the Jews are both whispering to their kids: “There really is a Santa Claus.” > > And his name is Donald Trump. ETA: In other opinion (which I think I saw elsewhere right on this Board): This might be Trump’s pre-meditated, intentional Reichstag Fire. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/10 "2017-12-07T04:01:22Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > After 58 years, should we have normal relations with the government of Cuba? Yes, according to the majority of the American people. And that’s been the majority opinion for about 20 years, since a Gallup poll of March, 1999. Maybe someday our government may catch up. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/11 "2017-12-07T04:03:54Z")
The US is supposedly the leader of the free world. That sort of implies that we, uh lead by example. 😉 I don’t know if recognizing Jerusalem is the right choice or not. Fifty years of doing nothing certainly hasn’t fixed the Palestinian problem. I support renewed relations with Cuba for much the same reason. Decades of doing nothing didn’t work. Castro simply gave us the finger and kept on governing. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/12 "2017-12-07T04:05:09Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > ETA: In other opinion (which I think I saw elsewhere right on this Board): This might be Trump’s pre-meditated, intentional Reichstag Fire. Here it is: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=20647588#post20647588](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=20647588#post20647588) _et seq._ Several posts discussing this over in the Trump Administration Clusterfuck thread in the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/13 "2017-12-07T04:21:21Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I don’t know if recognizing Jerusalem is the right choice or not. Fifty years of doing nothing certainly hasn’t fixed the Palestinian problem. We must do something. This is something. Therefore, we must do this. You didn’t answer my question, though; and nothing I’ve read about this move attempts to answer it, either. What does the U.S. get out of this? I thought Trump was all about making America great again, and negotiating all the best deals with foreign leaders. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/14 "2017-12-07T04:29:45Z")
I don’t know what America gets out of this. I’m not even sure why we even try to be the Leader of the Free World. It’s a major PITA. We are trying to work a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. A lot of prominent people have tried and failed. Jimmy Carter worked on it for decades. Jared Kushner may fail too. He’s obviously got a vested interest in succeeding. I can only speculate we’re seeing the first step of a bigger plan. Let’s give Kushner a chance. He may fail or he may succeed. Trump is along for the ride on this trip. Kushner has been given the task of working out the details of a settlement. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/15 "2017-12-07T04:50:34Z")
Everyone has a vested interest in peace in the Middle East. Who else should we give a chance? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/16 "2017-12-07T04:55:30Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Everyone has a vested interest in peace in the Middle East. Who else should we give a chance? I’m guessing Russia is on _somebody’s_ short list. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/17 "2017-12-07T04:59:34Z")
You want to volunteer? I sure don’t. There was so much hope invested in the Oslo Accords. It was the best chance they ever had for lasting peace. The Palestinian Authority was created. They had their own government and police. It was the first step towards a Palestinian state. It fell apart and ended with Yasser Arafat surrounded in a building. > **[Oslo Accords](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_Accords)** > > The Oslo Accords are a pair of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993; and the Oslo II Accord, signed in Taba, Egypt, in 1995. They marked the start of the Oslo process, a peace process aimed at achieving a peace treaty based on Resolution 242 and Resolution 338 of the United Nations Security Council, and at fulfilling the "right of the Palestinian people to self-determination". The Oslo process began Am... ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/18 "2017-12-07T04:59:51Z")
Considering some people don’t want a nation of Israel at all and never will, I can live with said country having whatever capital it wants at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/19 "2017-12-07T05:07:37Z")
If it pisses off the Palestinians, er, ah, I mean the enemies of America, then I’m all for it. Go, Trump!!! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2017, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751/20 "2017-12-07T05:36:59Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The Palestinian Authority was created. They had their own government and police. It was the first step towards a Palestinian state. Well, no. Remember UN Resolution 181 from 1947? The title was “United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine”. It divided the area into a two-state solution, one for Jews and one for Arabs. The Jewish part became Israel; the Arab part is Jordan. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-thread/803751.md?page=2)