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Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's Capital Marks an End to Discrimination Against Israel

(Washington Times) Richard Schifter - By 1954 it was clear that the proposed UN-run separate entity to govern Jerusalem would not be established. The idea had been overtaken by events. West Jerusalem was part of Israel and east Jerusalem was part of Jordan. At that point it would have been logically and legally appropriate to recognize West Jerusalem as part of Israel and move the U.S. Embassy there. But the Eisenhower administration was concerned about Soviet penetration of the Arab world and wanted to avoid a step that would antagonize the Arab states. Thus, the Cold War caused the U.S. to create an exception by maintaining an embassy in a city other than the country's declared capital. But the Cold War concerns of 1954 are now obviously no longer relevant. President Trump's official recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was not a special favor granted to the State of Israel. It was a matter of ending a policy of discriminating against the State of Israel, which has been the only country worldwide in which the U.S. Embassy is located in a city other than the country's capital. The writer, former deputy U.S. ambassador at the UN, is founder and chairman of the American Jewish International Relations Institute.
2017-12-26 00:00:00
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