Dienstag, 16. Mai 2017

US-Botschaft bleibt in Tel Aviv

Rex Tillerson/Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: State Department).
The US embassy will not be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem before a peace deal between Israel and Palestine is reached. Having talked to the Arab leaders, US President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have finally understood the importance of such a move. It would be an offense not only for the Arab world but also for international relations, international law, and the US in particular. Saying something on the campaign trail is one thing, acting as US President means something else. 

The Trump administration will weigh the decision in the light whether it will support the peace process or not. Trump should not be led astray by Benjamin Netanyahu who argues that such a move would help the peace process and would shatter Palestinians fantasies. So far, Israel never made concessions after they got their wishes fulfilled. The different US administration can tell the world a thing or two about it. Trump should know that Netanyahu's word can't be trusted. In 2011, French President Nikolas Sarkozy told President Obama: "I cannot bear Netanyahu, he's a liar."

Right-wing Education Minister Naftali Bennet called on Netanyahu that he should tell President Trump to move the embassy because "united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty." This kind of "independence" is an Israeli wishful thinking because the international community doesn't recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital because the city is still under Israeli occupation. The moving of the embassy would only strengthen the Israeli position and would make the Netanyahu government more rejectionist. Continue reading ...