THE NEWS SAYS
The acknowledgement of reality undoes 70 years of fiction that Jerusalem is a city without a country, neither Jewish nor Arab.
It wasn’t a President named Donald who declared in 2017 that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. It was a king named David, in 1006 BC. Another guy named David, this one named Ben-Gurion, seconded the motion in 1949. Still, give credit where due: Donald Trump’s acknowledgment of reality by formally recognizing, as United States policy, what has been the case for more than 3,000 years is welcome. It undoes 70 years of American fiction that this is a city without a country, part of some mythical international territory, neither Jewish nor Arab.
Of course, Jerusalem — by which we mean West Jerusalem, where most of the city’s Jews live — is the capital of Israel. Of course, the U.S. embassy should be there.
Meantime, the eastern part of the city, which includes sites holy to three major religions, will remain under Israeli rule — with free and open access to all holy sites for all — until Palestinians and Israelis make a lasting peace. Without dividing the city, the east will likely hold the capital of an Arab Palestinian state, with the Old City and its sacred sites welcoming believers and nonbelievers.
But it’s insanity to believe that until that possibly far-off day arrives, practicing mass delusion and pretending Jerusalem is a city attached to nothing — issuing U.S. passports and other documents without the word “Israel” in them — will have any salutary effect on the prospects for peace.
Forestalling acknowledgment of reality solely out of fear of the temporary terrorist backlash it may unleash is folly. History has proven again and again that the main obstacle to peace is dogged rejection among Palestinians, including Palestinian leaders, of the very existence of Israel.
Finally recognizing that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel states a fact that anti-Israel forces need to get through their heads sooner or later: The Jewish State isn’t going anywhere. Deal with it.