HE’S OUR LI’L ROCKET MAN
US set to open J'salem embassy
Israel rolled out the red carpet Sunday for the Washington delegation led by Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, ahead of Monday’s controversial opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem — and braced itself for widespread protests by Palestinians.
Trump and Kushner, both White House advisers, hopped off a plane at sun-splashed BenGurion Airport in Tel Aviv as Israel kicked off celebrations to mark the event.
“Honored to have arrived in Israel on such a meaningful day,” Ivanka posted to her Instagram account.
Their arrival coincides with Je- rusalem Day, marking the 51st anniversary of the city’s reunification after 1967’s Six-Day War.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted the Washington emissaries and praised President Trump’s “bold decision” to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Later, he hosted a gala at the Foreign Ministry for Ivanka, Kushner and other members of the White House contingent, including Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and 12 members of Congress.
The president will not attend the embassy opening but will address the dignitaries at Monday’s ceremony by video.
But as the Washington delega- tion watches the unveiling of the plaque at the new embassy in Jerusalem, the Israeli army will be readying for a nightmare scenario 50 miles away: thousands of Palestinians bursting through the fence on the Gaza border.
President Trump announced in December that he would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv — a decision cheered by Netanyahu’s government but condemned by Palestinians, who claim East Jerusalem as their capital.
Apparently as a result of Trump’s move, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas severed all ties with the US administration and said the president was unqualified to broker a peace be-
tween Israelis and Palestinians.
And while the embassy ceremony is set to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Israel’s establishment, Palestinians view the date as the anniversary of their
Nakba, or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands either fled or were forced out of their homes.
The militant Hamas movement has been holding protests for six weeks in the Gaza Strip, which it controls, over an Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the territory.
The group has signaled that a massive rally planned for Monday will still take place and has suggested that the thousands gathering might try to storm the border fence to reclaim their “lost homes.”
A breach of the border could result in a bloodbath. Since the Gaza protests began on March 30, at least 49 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire and 1,800 have been wounded.
As the Israeli army bolstered its forces, Netanyahu told the visiting dignitaries that peace is based on truth.
“The truth is that not only has Jerusalem been the capital of the Jewish people for millennia and our state for decades, but the truth is that under any peace deal, Jerusalem will remain Israel’s capital,” he said in a speech.