United States has announced the moving of its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, effectively putting an end to two decades of intransigence. It was one promise that President Donald Trump kept, more so as his voters were largely supportive of the move. As expected, the decision triggered a global storm of emotions and condemnations. There will be protests in many parts of the world, some of which may turn violent. All that rage is justified. This is a bad move. This is also a good move. The dichotomy could not have been more lucid than on this issue. There has been enough lip service and faked tears. Perhaps it is about time to get real.
The notion that US was a neutral observer in the Israel-Palestine conflict is the imagination of infertile minds. US Congress ratified the moving of American embassy to Jerusalem in 1995, under the Clinton administration and with an overwhelming mandate from both parties. The caveats in the bill allowed for the presidents to sign six-months waivers, which they continued to do until Trump. Despite these waivers, which were merely face-saving exercises, all US presidents have stood behind Israel’s stance on the Jerusalem issue. This cuts across party lines and affiliations.
The Left has been supportive of the Palestinian cause and understandably shaken at the development. There are enough schisms among this demographic that one can’t really ascertain whether they are really concerned. One fact is known though: Many of them don’t give a damn about human suffering. The last six years have provided ample proof. A major chunk of the Left has stood behind the genocidal regime of Bashar al-Assad of Syria, as he — along with his Iranian and Russian allies — massacred 500,000 people. There was and continues to be enough peddling of lies and distortions to justify the state brutalities. It is thus wrong to assume the same demographic is really troubled by the plight of the Palestinians. Many in the far-Left are only massaging their troubled egos.
Make no mistake. The Palestinians have been fouled and wronged for long. They have been displaced and killed by the Israelis. They have been exploited by the Arab leaders. They have been used as a fodder to advance the strategic interests of Iran. The West has only paid lip service to their predicament. And the Americans have always been a partisan player. The biggest culprit is their own leadership, which has always failed them. Thus the Palestinians have to be on their own and this reality is slowly setting in.
Let’s get to the facts. Jerusalem is already the de facto capital of Israel. The good thing about Trump’s speech was his skirting of delineating defined borders for the new capital. The city has to be divided between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Anyone suggesting otherwise is simply calling for trouble. Similarly, it is infeasible to imagine a Palestinian state divided into strips and patches of land, interspersed with Israeli settlements. It is untenable and unsustainable.
It is about time for hard negotiations. If Palestinians are to be denied of their right to return then Jews should also be barred from making the Aliyah. The Holocaust was over in 1945 and the West — which was the real culprit for that horrific episode — has atoned enough with others’ lands and lives. Pre-1967 borders are still feasible if Israel ditches its plans of promising every settler a nice suburban home with a lawn. The parched and narrow strip of land can’t accommodate that many people. Instead of building detached homes on Palestinians’ lands, Israel can do well by going for vertical development. Unless of course if it doesn’t want to solve the problem.
Status-quo will prevail for now. Given the brisk pace of settlements, Palestine could eventually be absorbed into the Israeli territory. Israel can’t evict them all. They will have to be accommodated within the state boundaries. There has been enough commentary on the issue that one doesn’t need further elaboration. On the flip-side, if that eventuality happens, Jerusalem will serve right as the capital of a joint state.