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Post by Daniel on Dec 6, 2017 20:53:15 GMT -5
Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, starts embassy move
By AP and TOI staff
6 December 2017
WASHINGTON — Defying dire, worldwide warnings, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday broke with decades of US and international policy by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Despite urgent appeals from Arab and European leaders and the risk of anti-American protests and violence, Trump declared that he was ending an approach that for decades has failed to advance the prospects for peace. He also for the first time personally endorsed the concept of a “two-state solution” for Israel and the Palestinians, provided both sides agree to it.
“I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” he said in a White House address, calling it “overdue” and in the best interests of the United States. He said recognition acknowledged the “obvious” fact that Jerusalem is the seat of Israel’s government despite the disputed status that is one of the key elements in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“This is nothing more or less than the recognition of reality,” he said.
...
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump, saying Israel was “profoundly grateful.”
“This is a historic day,” Netanyahu said in a video message. “We’re profoundly grateful for the president for his courageous and just decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to prepare for the opening of the US embassy here.”
Netanyahu said the move reflected Trump’s “commitment to an ancient but enduring truth, to fulfilling his promises and to advancing peace.”
read full article
www.timesofisrael.com/trump-recognizes-jerusalem-as-israels-capital-starts-embassy-move/
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Post by Daniel on Dec 6, 2017 21:00:30 GMT -5
In US Congress, robust backing for Trump’s Jerusalem move
By AFP 6 December 2017
WASHINGTON, United States — US lawmakers across the political spectrum reacted positively to US President Donald Trump’s announcement Wednesday that he is recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, although some warned the move would inflame tensions and stall peace efforts.
Several Democrats and Trump’s Republicans hailed the move as long overdue.
“Jerusalem has been, and always will be, the eternal, undivided capital of the State of Israel,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement.
“Today’s announcement is a recognition of reality that in no way inhibits efforts to reach a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”
In the Senate, the Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker — a Republican Trump critic — applauded the president’s decision, as did the panel’s top Democrat, Ben Cardin.
more
www.timesofisrael.com/in-us-congress-robust-backing-for-trumps-jerusalem-move/
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Post by Daniel on Dec 7, 2017 9:29:45 GMT -5
Jerusalem: Trump and Congress Challenge the Palestinians to Grow Up
By Roger L Simon December 5, 2017
The president's decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to be announced Wednesday is already sending the usual suspects into a tizzy. The famous Arab Street, we are told, will be erupting. The despicable fascist that runs Turkey has warned of imminent disaster. And the president of France is doing what the French usually do vis-a-vis the Jews -- well, not quite that bad.
But the real question is how the Palestinians themselves will react once the dust has settled. Will they continue decades of self-destructive violent protests that have led many of us to believe they never had an interest in a two-state solution in the first place, that it was all posturing for handouts? Or will they grow up and realize the time has come to negotiate to a conclusion and accept the responsibility of their own state and the adult compromises that would naturally entail?
By finally moving U.S. policy at least two degrees off years of unimaginative stagnation, Trump has forced the Palestinians to face some measure of reality. But he is not alone. They are also being challenged forcefully by Congress. From the Algemeiner:
The Taylor Force Act passed the US House of Representatives by unanimous consent on Tuesday, confronting the Palestinian Authority with the prospect of a massive cut in US aid for as long as it maintains its policy of paying monthly salaries and other benefits to the families of slain or convicted Palestinian terrorists.
Named in memory of Taylor Force – the former American army officer stabbed to death during a knifing spree by a Palestinian assailant in Tel Aviv in March 2016 – the legislation prevents the transfer of funds “that directly benefit the Palestinian Authority” for a six-year period beginning in 2018 unless the PA verifiably ends its so-called “martyr payments” policy. The Taylor Force Act also requires the PA to repeal any laws enabling or favoring the payments policy, as well investigate terrorist acts for the purpose of “bringing the perpetrators to justice.”
more
pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/jerusalem-trump-congress-challenge-palestinians-grow/
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Post by Daniel on Dec 7, 2017 9:41:59 GMT -5
Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital and Decision to Move U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem is a “Bold and Welcome Move”
By Jay Sekulow
The United States has just officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and begun plans to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem.
This is a bold and welcomed move by President Trump – a move that recognizes the facts as they are – that Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish state of Israel.
By officially recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the United States sends a powerful message to the world – the U.S. remains committed to pursuing and achieving peace in the Middle East. Further, the decision to move our embassy to Jerusalem not only reflects the correct course of action, but also complies with both U.S. and international law.
The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-45) was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the House of Representatives (374-37) and the Senate (93-5) on October 24, 1995. It became law on November 8, 1995 (President Clinton did not sign or veto it).
The Act was designed to state U.S. policy and authorize and incentivize the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by May 31, 1999. It also recognized that “Since 1950, the city of Jerusalem has been the capital of the State of Israel” and adopted as the policy of the United States that “Jerusalem should remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected” and that “Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel.”
However, Section 7 of the Act also gave the President the authority to waive the relocation of the U.S. embassy for six-months. President Clinton issued the first waiver, and this waiver has been consistently renewed by every U.S. President since that time, and no President has formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital – until today.
Now, that has finally changed. It will take time to build and move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and thus the President is renewing the waiver to give officials time to practically relocate. But the first critical step was taken today.
Jerusalem has been and always will be Israel’s capital. It’s why our ACLJ office in Israel is located in Jerusalem.
more
aclj.org/israel/recognition-of-jerusalem-as-israels-capital-and-decision-to-move-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-is-a-bold-and-welcome-move
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Post by Daniel on Dec 7, 2017 9:55:25 GMT -5
250 Rabbis Bless Trump With Biblical Joshua’s Strength in Letter of Support
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz December 7, 2017
“For the sake of Tzion I will not be silent, For the sake of Yerushalayim I will not be still, Till her victory emerge resplendent And her triumph like a flaming torch.” Isaiah 62:1
Over two hundred prominent Israeli rabbis sent a letter of gratitude to President Donald Trump, blessing him in the manner that God blessed Joshua as he led the Jews into Israel and stating that Trump’s acknowledgement of Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital assures him a permanent place in the annals of Jewish history.
Samaria Regional Council Chairman Yossi Dagan sent a letter of blessings to the White House expressing gratitude from approximately 250 prominent Israeli rabbis after President Donald Trump’s speech.
“You have a rare privilege now to be the first president to spearhead the recognition of Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the State of Israel,” the rabbis wrote.
“We merit living in a generation in which prophecies are being fulfilled, one after the other,” the letter continued, emphasizing that Trump is playing his role in that process.
“The presidents of America merited standing by Israel in actualizing the prophecy of the return to Zion and the building of the State of Israel. “
It concluded, “We are sure that you will be remembered in the history of the Jewish people forever as one who stood at the fore and was not afraid. May God’s promise to Joshua be fulfilled upon you.”
more
www.breakingisraelnews.com/99018/250-rabbis-bless-trump-biblical-joshuas-strength-letter-support/
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Post by Daniel on Dec 7, 2017 10:00:38 GMT -5
Netanyahu says more countries to follow Trump lead on Jerusalem
By Raphael Ahren and TOI staff
Israeli officials downplayed threats of a diplomatic backlash in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the country’s capital, saying other countries were eager to follow suit and international ties would not be affected.
Speaking at a Foreign Ministry diplomatic conference a day after Trump made his historic announcement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was in contact with other countries that want to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move their embassies there.
“We are holding contacts with other countries who will also recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. I have no doubt than when the US Embassy will move there, and even before that, many embassies will relocate to Jerusalem. It’s about time,” he said.
Trump on Wednesday night made a speech declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel, shattering decades of unwavering US neutrality on the city.
“Good morning and welcome to Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish State of Israel,” Netanyahu told the attendees of the Foreign Ministry’s International Conference in Digital Diplomacy. “If you weren’t aware of that until yesterday, you are now. But we’ve been aware of it for 3,000 years.”
more
www.timesofisrael.com/israel-downplays-diplomatic-fallout-from-trump-jerusalem-recognition/
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Post by Daniel on Dec 7, 2017 10:07:41 GMT -5
If I recognize thee, O Jerusalem: What Trump’s move means for the region
By Raphael Ahren
Almost exactly 70 years after the announcement of the UN Partition Plan — which proposed to internationalize Jerusalem, and was thus responsible for the fact that no country in the world ever acknowledged Israeli sovereignty over it — the most powerful nation on earth finally recognized the city as Israel’s capital.
The significance of this move, in diplomatic terms, can hardly be overstated. In a few months, the world will mark the 70th birthday of the Jewish state. On Wednesday, for the first time in two millennia, a superpower recognized the Jewish state’s claim to its ancient capital.
The exuberant joy of many Israelis is thus understandable. Quite a few of them praised US President Donald Trump for correcting what they felt was a historic anomaly. Others soberly remarked that his speech merely expressed what had been obvious to them for decades.
Indeed, besides Trump’s pledge to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a step that is expected to take several years, very little of what he said will have a direct, concrete impact on Israelis’ everyday life. Unless, of course, the angry Arab fallout does.
more
www.timesofisrael.com/if-i-recognize-thee-o-jerusalem-what-trumps-move-means-for-the-region/
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Post by Daniel on Dec 7, 2017 10:16:47 GMT -5
Canada must join Trump and recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital
Sheila Gunn Reid
December 06, 2017
...What's the point of dividing Jews from their holiest sites and their history to please their enemies who will never satiate in their blood lust, no matter what the Israelis give up?
Since 1948, the left and Islamic extremists have been attacking Israel. That will never change.
What's changing is the United States now has a president who is unafraid of the anti-Semites at the UN, and will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the only democracy and beacon of freedom in the Middle East.
As Canadians, it is time for us to push our leaders to do what Trump has done, to do what's right in the face of backlash and to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided and eternal capital of Israel.
more
www.therebel.media/canada_must_join_trump_and_recognize_jerusalem_as_israel_s_capital
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Post by Daniel on Dec 10, 2017 10:03:58 GMT -5
Why Trump is Right in Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
By Alan Dershowitz December 10, 2017
President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a perfect response to President Obama’s benighted decision to change American policy by engineering the United Nations Security Council Resolution declaring Judaism’s holiest places in Jerusalem to be occupied territory and a “flagrant violation under international law.” It was President Obama who changed the status quo and made peace more difficult, by handing the Palestinians enormous leverage in future negotiations and disincentivizing them from making a compromised peace.
It had long been American foreign policy to veto any one-sided Security Council resolutions that declared Judaism’s holiest places to be illegally occupied. Obama’s decision to change that policy was not based on American interests or in the interests of peace. It was done out of personal revenge against Prime Minister Netanyahu and an act of pique by the outgoing president.
It was also designed improperly to tie the hands of President-elect Trump. President Trump is doing the right thing by telling the United Nations that the United States now rejects the one-sided UN Security Council Resolution.
So if there is any change to the status quo, let the blame lie where it should be: at the hands of President Obama for his cowardly decision to wait until he was a lame-duck president to get even with Prime Minister Netanyahu. President Trump deserves praise for restoring balance in negotiations with Israel and the Palestinians. It was President Obama who made peace more difficult. It was President Trump who made it more feasible again.
more
www.breakingisraelnews.com/99056/trump-right-recognizing-jerusalem-israels-capital-opinion/
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Post by Brother Mark on Dec 15, 2017 2:08:03 GMT -5
Obviously Trump has an agenda for naming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. I think that not only the American Embassy is moving but also here is where the new Trump Tower is going. Not very smart!
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Post by Daniel on Dec 16, 2017 10:29:01 GMT -5
White House ‘cannot envision situation’ where Western Wall is not part of Israel
By Eric Cortellessa 15 December 2017
WASHINGTON — A senior administration official told reporters on Friday that the White House “envisions” the Western Wall will remain part of Israel under any accord with the Palestinians.
The comments follow US President Donald Trump’s December 6 declaration that recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. They are certain to delight Israeli leaders — the Western Wall is the holiest place where Jews are allowed to pray — and infuriate the Palestinians, who claim East Jerusalem, including the Old City, as the capital of their intended independent state.
“We cannot envision any situation under which the Western Wall would not be part of Israel,” the official said, speaking ahead of US Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to Israel next week.
“But as the president said [in his speech last week on Jerusalem], the specific boundaries of sovereignty of Israel are going to be part of the final status agreement,” the official said.
Furthermore, the official added, “We note that we cannot imagine Israel would sign a peace agreement that didn’t include the Western Wall.”
more
www.timesofisrael.com/white-house-cannot-envision-situation-where-western-wall-not-part-of-israel/
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