A recent headline in the Wall Street Journal reads “Blinken Seems Intent on Sparking a Crisis Over Jerusalem.”
The text of the piece goes on to detail not only Washington’s efforts to force Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (Yamina) to allow for the reopening of a US consulate in Jerusalem that would service the needs of Palestinians and conduct diplomatic relations with the US-backed Palestinian Authority, but also the pushback by Bennet and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), who have so far refused to accept US demands.
The desperation by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken brings to light the desperation of Washington to hold onto its control of Israel as the empire continues its decline.
The US consulate was first opened in 1844 while Jerusalem was still under Ottoman rule. A few years after Israel was formally established as a Jewish State in 5708 (1948), the United States opened a formal embassy in Tel Aviv, transforming the Jerusalem building into a consular department servicing Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
For decades before and after the 5727 (1967) Six Day War, the United States refused to acknowledge Jewish sovereignty over any parts of Jerusalem – not out of any concern for Jordanian or Palestinian claims but rather due to the catastrophic ramifications Jewish rule in Jerusalem would mean for Western civilization.
In 5778 (2018), under President Donald Trump, the US officially moved its embassy to Jerusalem, closing its Palestinian consular branch shortly thereafter. Since then, it has been a point of contention between Washington and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, that wishes to see the consulate open as a sign of US support for Palestinian claims over the city.
Current US President Biden spoke of reopening the consulate during his campaign and seems eager to follow through on that pledge. Given the shaky nature of Israel’s current governing coalition, however, the US has been careful not to be too forceful out of fear that they could break up the government and bring opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud) back to power. The US is currently banking on the current government gaining stability.
The issue of a united Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is one that unites Israelis across the political spectrum whereas Washington reopening the consulate would be perceived as a denial of Israel’s claim to the city. In a meeting between Blinken and Lapid, the top US diplomat reportedly told Lapid that “We’ll be moving forward with the process of opening a consulate as part of deepening of those ties with the Palestinians.” This was said despite Lapid’s open denunciation of such efforts. The US is clearly trying to treat the Israeli government as a pawn in the bigger game they see playing out in the Semitic region.
Israel developing into the nation we came home to be requires us to break free from the control of foreign powers. This means standing firm in our positions. Despite the current fragility of the US empire, its leaders still value the aura of strength. If the Israeli government is not strong on Jerusalem, how could we be worthy of anyone’s respect?
This open confrontation that the US seeks to spark stems from the desperation inherent in the empire’s shrinking international supremacy. In the aftermath of its disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, Washington is seeking an easy win and perceives Israel to be the perfect target to flex the imperial diplomatic muscles on.
Can Israel stand strong and not succumb to US pressure?
The moral power behind Western efforts to force Israel to surrender territory has for decades been the need to attain some form of justice for the Palestinians living under us. The Americans have traditionally claimed that this can only be accomplished through dividing our country into two states (each of course dependent on Washington for survival).
But if Israel can address Palestinian grievances and aspirations outside of a two-state framework, the Americans would lose the moral authority behind their imperialist interests here. Israel can easily remedy this particular situation by allowing unabated Palestinian use of the US embassy in Jerusalem. This would work to both heal divides and show Washington that Israel can act independently from its egregious demands.
Freedom will only come when we recognize ourselves as free and govern justly in our land.
