Boston Herald

Now he’s making Israel great

Trump move gives relations with U.S. a boost

- Adriana Cohen is a Boston Herald columnist, radio host and syndicated columnist. Follow her @AdrianaCoh­en16.

President Trump is not only Making America Great Again, with a booming economy and the lowest unemployme­nt rate in decades, now he’s helping make Israel great again.

Thanks to Trump, the United States will finally treat Jerusalem as Israel’s rightful capital.

It’s about time. It’s been 22 years since the Senate passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act with overwhelmi­ng bipartisan support, formally recognizin­g Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. But no action was taken to move the U.S. Embassy there. Until now.

Knowing that the peace process has long been stalled between the Palestinia­ns and our greatest ally in the Middle East, it was long overdue to try something new. Our president — a change agent — expressed this yesterday: “We cannot solve our problems by making the same failed assumption­s and repeating the same failed strategies of the past.”

Trump’s action puts Iran on notice. The world’s primary state sponsor of terrorism has repeatedly threatened to destroy Israel, and provides support to the terrorists who constantly attack the Jewish state, creating instabilit­y throughout the region. It is no accident that Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states now quietly cooperate with Israel. They also know where their interest lies.

Strong, unequivoca­l U.S. support for Israel means that the Palestinia­ns have to consider reality. Israel is not going away, and as with many Arab nations, an accommodat­ion is in their interest.

Yesterday on my Herald Radio show, U.S. Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) told me, “This is a pledge that President Trump made, not just as president but as a candidate, and it improves his stature around the world when he carries through on the pledges that he makes; it tells our allies and our enemies both that this president is a man of his word and he will fulfill the promises and commitment­s that he makes.”

Banks added, “For 3,000 years Jerusalem has been the center of the Jewish people and this declaratio­n that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and our recognitio­n of such is a powerful American statement to those around the world who are paying attention to our actions.”

Under the Obama administra­tion, U.S. relations with Israel hit an alltime low. We recall Obama and scores of Democrats — including our own U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren — snubbing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s historic address before Congress over the Iran nuclear deal.

But peace with terrorists doesn’t come from weakness and concession­s. It comes from strength. But now that a pro-Israel president is managing our foreign policy, Trump is quickly repairing this vital geopolitic­al relationsh­ip that is critical to our short- and long-term security in the region. And he is letting the world know we are serious about the Middle East again.

 ?? AP PHOTO ?? EAGLE FLYING: President Trump and Vice President Pence display the order to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel.
AP PHOTO EAGLE FLYING: President Trump and Vice President Pence display the order to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel.
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