(Fikra Forum-Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Einat Wilf - Here are four steps for moving the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Israel's political capital. Choose a location in Jerusalem that is clearly west of the 1949 armistice line. This part of Jerusalem has been under undisputed Israeli sovereignty since there was a modern State of Israel. Make it clear that the move merely acknowledges that these parts of Jerusalem undisputedly belong to Israel, and Israel has the sovereign right of every nation to place its capital in its undisputed territory. Clarify that after 70 years, the U.S. is finally ending an illogical policy that holds the undisputed status of Jerusalem west of the 1949 armistice line hostage to the ongoing dispute over Jerusalem east of that line. Call out those Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims who are threatening violence over the U.S. move. Are they laying claim to Jerusalem west of the 1949 line and demanding it for themselves as well? If they react with violence, it is violence that is based on opposition to the very existence of the State of Israel. Call upon all other countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel to follow suit. Dr. Einat Wilf is an Adjunct Fellow at The Washington Institute and a former member of the Israeli Knesset.
2017-02-01 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive