Middle East maneuvers

Will France assume larger role in peace process?

The world continues to react to President Donald J. Trump’s Dec. 6 declaration that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and that the United States will be moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Fortunately, so far, most of the reaction to the change in U.S. policy has been largely nonviolent and focused, for the most part, at the United Nations, in the Security Council and the General Assembly. The U.N. — a place for countries to blow off steam without too much real damage to working relations — again is justifying its existence.

At the same time, there has been some violence and other real damage as well. The Palestinian Authority’s acting president, Mahmoud Abbas, has rejected continued U.S. leadership in the so-called Middle East peace process based on America’s new position on Jerusalem.

Mr. Abbas has said he would not meet with Vice President Mike Pence, whose trip to the Middle East this month was postponed. The White House said the trip was moved to January so Mr. Pence last week could remain in Washington during the vote on the tax plan, but it is hard to see either a change of position on Mr. Abbas’ part, given the Palestinians’ and some of the Arabs’ strong feelings about Jerusalem, or a trip to the Middle East for Mr. Pence without a meeting with Mr. Abbas.

The United States was forced to veto an otherwise unanimous statement by the U.N. Security Council condemning the new U.S. position on Jerusalem. The U.S. also took a licking in the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday with a big vote against it on the same subject, even after Mr. Trump had threatened to cut off U.S. aid to the countries that did not vote with the U.S. The United States certainly has the right to locate its embassy in Israel or in any other country anywhere it likes, if the host government agrees. However, U.S. aid normally is extended to countries and organizations for reasons much more important to national interests than a U.N. vote on an issue more important to another country, in this case Israel, than to the U.S.

Countries that voted against the U.S. on Thursday included Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

There is some thought in Washington that the storm over the Jerusalem statement will eventually subside, and it may, although if it comes to be seen as a landmark in the history that surrounds the Israel-Palestine issue, such as the 1917 Balfour Declaration, the 1948, 1967 and 1973 wars, and the 1993 Oslo accords, there may be a very long wait. In the meantime, the Palestinians are seeking to engage French President Emmanuel Macron to pick up the Middle East negotiating ball.