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U.S. Middle East Plan Is a Refreshing Change
(CNN) Jon Lerner - Administration critics adopt the odd view that, although all past efforts have failed, we must never deviate from them. They are offended by alterations to old formulas, when the old formulas achieved no peace. The current administration does not feel tied down by the unsuccessful formulas of the past and is willing to openly challenge that conventional thinking. The Jerusalem decision is a prime example. The historic move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital was not a "free gift" to Prime Minister Netanyahu as critics claim. It brought to fruition longstanding U.S. policy as expressed by large, bipartisan congressional majorities, and it recognized reality. There has never been a peace agreement scenario under which Jerusalem would cease to be Israel's capital. So why go on with a charade that only served to encourage unrealistic Palestinian goals and was therefore harmful to peace prospects? The writer, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, served as deputy to UN Ambassador Nikki Haley in 2017-18.