Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. It was our capital before President Trump and will remain our capital even if he were to change his mind. The United States embassy should have been in Jerusalem all along, as should the embassy of any nation seeking diplomatic relations with Israel.
Trump’s embassy move didn’t have to be divisive. The Americans could’ve easily just said that since both Israelis and Palestinians relate to Jerusalem as the country’s capital, it makes no sense for Washington to have an embassy in Tel Aviv. There didn’t need to be a big public event with so much fanfare. And the move certainly didn’t have to be presented as a diplomatic victory for Israel over Palestinians.
But Trump is a shrewd operator and he knew exactly what he was doing. He was positioning all the parties for his administration’s still unveiled plan for our country. He reinforced Washington’s role as the major arbitrator in negotiations. He made clear to the Palestinians that there’s a price for not playing ball. He presented the move as a great win for Israelis at the expense of Palestinians. And we fell right into his trap.
By making such a big deal and fawning over Trump as if he’s giving us Jerusalem, Israeli leaders have created a sense that we owe him big. When he reveals his administration’s plan for our country – which according to reports involves partitioning the land into two states and internationalizing ancient Jerusalem – it will be all more difficult for us to resist.
Yesterday’s pageantry in Jerusalem and the terrifying death toll in Gaza shouldn’t make Israelis feel any more independent or free. Jerusalem is no more ours than it was two days ago when the nation’s Yom Yerushalayim joy was marred by American flags and placards praising Trump all over our city.
The American president’s greatest asset is the extent to which people so frequently underestimate him. Now that he’s exacerbated our conflict and shifted Israel to a position of vulnerability (with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and so much of the Israeli public cheering him on), he’s likely preparing to impose on us his administration’s new plan to divide our country while increasing our dependence on American power for survival.
Netanyahu was skillful at resisting the efforts of Trump’s predecessor to force a “two-state solution.” He has also displayed an impressive ability to capitalize politically on Trump’s moves with the Israeli public. But after building the US embassy move up into a much bigger deal than it actually was, Netanyahu may have limited his ability to resist Trump’s attempt to divide our land into two states.
