Prof: Prez puts peace out of reach
The University of Massachusetts Boston’s Padraig O’Malley, Distinguished Professor of Peace and Reconciliation, joined Boston Herald Radio’s “The Rundown” yesterday to discuss the implications of the United States’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and what it means for Mideast peace:
I knew it was going to happen. And I suppose I will begin by saying this is a sad day for the United States, it’s a sad day for its diplomatic cause, it’s a sad day for Israel, it’s a sad day for Palestinians. But Donald Trump, a narcissistic president, is taking an oath that guarantees there will not be peace between Israel and Palestine.
It speaks to the ignorance of a man who knows nothing about the place, Jerusalem, and Muslims across the world.
It speaks to the misunderstanding of the complex issues involved in negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis.
I think it’s important to keep in mind that President Trump doesn’t make arguments — he makes statements today that he will probably deny he made tomorrow, so I don’t put any credence in the facetious arguments he uses to justify his actions.
He’s not looking at the situation on the ground, the situation that exists always with the greatest possibility that conflict can break out at any time. This will get a reaction of violence across the West Bank and Jerusalem itself, and he will see that play out over the next few days.
He doesn’t recognize the importance of Jerusalem to Muslims.
It’s the third-most holy site for the Muslim community across the world. He has a misunderstanding of what the Palestinians want . ... He doesn’t understand what they want.
There will be reaction across the Muslim world in relation to this, and the fact that President Trump did not consult any of the contiguous countries, like Jordan, who warned him against it, or Egypt, who warned him against it.
There’s a plethora of countries across the West and across the Muslim world that have utterly condemned this as being one that only can result in violence and that would ensure that in years to come, the rest of his presidency, there will never, never be a negotiating table at which Palestinians will sit.