US leader dangles possible Jerusalem visit
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump floated a fraught trip to open the new US embassy in Jerusalem, as the under-fire leader hosted Israel’s equally embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
The two leaders — both the subject of career-threatening legal investigations — tried to cast their domestic problems aside, putting on a show of bonhomie and mutual appreciation in sunny Washington.
Sat in the Oval Office, Netanyahu waxed lyrical, painting Trump as the heir to a pantheon of historical figures, as he hailed Trump’s “bold” decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem.
Netanyahu likened the US leader to the ancient Persian King Cyrus the Great, who freed the Jews from captivity in Babylon; to Lord Balfour who a century ago affirmed the rights of the Jewish people in Palestine; and president Harry Truman, who recognized the Jewish state.
“I want to thank you for your extraordinary friendship,” said the Israeli leader.
Trump responded with some lyrical waxing of his own, saying he would consider a trip to open the controversial embassy this May, when Israel celebrates 70 years since its declaration of independence.
“We’re looking at coming. If I can, I will,” he said. “I may. We will be talking about that and other things.
“Israel is very special to me. Special country, special people, and I look forward to being there, and I’m very proud of that decision,” he added.
The trip would be political catnip for Trump and Netanyahu, appealing to supporters who see good US-Israel ties as a strategic imperative.
But the trip would also be a major security and diplomatic challenge, one that risks further infuriating Arab allies and scuttling US claims to be an independent broker for peace.
Both Israel and the State of Palestine claim Jerusalem as their capital.
The embassy move prompted deadly protests and was condemned by 128 states in a United Nations General Assembly vote in December.
Trump’s decision has complicated Trump’s already ambitious promise to reach the “ultimate deal” between Israelis and Palestinians.
US peace proposals are said to be close to conclusion, but have suffered amid Palestinian anger and as Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and pointman for peace, lost his top-secret security clearance.
Guatemala said on Monday it will transfer its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem the second week of May. Guatemala is one of nine nations that sided with the US in the December UN vote.
The Arab League later on Monday condemned Guatemala’s decision. In a press statement, Assistant SecretaryGeneral of the AL for Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories, Saeed Abu Ali, urged Guatemala to reconsider its decision, describing it as illegal.