Trump Supporters Solidly In Minority As Trump Lights The Fuse In The Middle East

Trump Supporters Solidly In Minority As Trump Lights The Fuse In The Middle East
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"Murka needs to show those ragheads who's running the world," said Billy Joe as he stood outside his double-wide trailer in the Allegheny-Highlands region of Virginia. "We stand with Israel."

Billy Joe, like many of his neighbors, has never lived outside of the hills and hollows often labeled as America's “first forage into insanity.” Billy Joe has never been to Israel. He couldn't find it on a map without help, but since Trump is his president and his president says the embassy will move, Billy Joe — and his neighbors — cheer Trump on.

The Allegheny-Highlands domain is much like the rest of Appalachia. Summed up nicely in J.D. Vance's runaway bestseller, "Hillbilly Elegy," the area is populated by citizens who have never lived anywhere else. Pew Research shows that 78% of the citizenry have never lived longer than one-year over 100-miles from their birthplace.

Nationally, only 43% of Americans have a passport. That halved when Appalachia is polled. The lack of eye-opening travel hasn’t kept the pilgrims from addressing global issues which have bedeviled global leaders for 70-years.

Trump Fires Up A Fuse

In 1995 Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act, directing the president to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. That legislation gave the president the authority to waive the requirement to move the embassy if he judged it to be necessary for U.S. national security. Every successive U.S. president -- Republican and Democrat -- has used this waiver, recognizing that moving the embassy outside the context of a peace agreement would be provocative and would undermine U.S. credibility, threaten U.S. peace efforts, and harm U.S. interests. Attempts to force the president to move the embassy, despite all of this, are misguided and counterproductive.

The announcement is globally condemned as pronouncement signals America's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. At the moment, Israel controls the city, but the Eastern half of Jerusalem is seen as the future capital of a Palestinian state.

Israel Destroys With America's Blessings

"For 70 years, America has given Israel approval to steal Palestinian land, build illegal settlements and deny Palestinians in East Jerusalem their rights," said Rebecca Vilkomerson, director of Jewish Voice for Peace. "Trump's decision takes America's ongoing policies to the next level. It is reckless, irresponsible and endangers the lives of both Palestinians and Israelis."

While Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, has been dispatched to get an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, it is unclear how such an agreement could be reached with the anticipated move of the American embassy. Leaders across the political spectrum from Jordan's King Abdullah II and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls the move disastrous, and both say it will "throw the region, and the world, into the fire."

Even Jews Hate The Move

Even progressive Jews have spoken against the move. The Jewish advocacy group J Street, is one example of a team labeling the movement "an unhelpful step with no tangible benefits — only serious risks."

The announcement dominated European news coverage Wednesday, especially in countries such as Germany, France, and Britain, where anti-Semitic incidents have been on the rise in recent years — partially because of an escalation of tensions between Israel and Palestinians. European nations have hosted multiple interfaith events to discuss ways to de-escalate, and Pope Francis was among the leaders speaking out in favor of preserving the status quo of Jerusalem, which is considered a holy city by Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

Other than angry, scared, financially-impotent white men, there are a few others Americans who support Trump's decision. Republicans, conservatives and conservative Jews say it is time America took this bold step. No one else is happy.

"The Holy Land is for us Christians the land par excellence of dialogue between God and mankind," the pope said. "The primary condition of that dialogue is reciprocal respect and a commitment to strengthening that respect, for the sake of recognizing the rights of all people, wherever they happen to be." The pope also spoke to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday.

Abbas reached out to the presidents of Russia and France, as well as King Abdullah II of Jordan, on Tuesday, urging them to stop the Trump administration's formal recognition of Jerusalem.

In Russia, the Kremlin also joined the list of nations fearing that such a move will exacerbate tensions between Israel and Palestinians, saying that the situation could worsen as a result.

It was one of the few times a Kremlin foreign policy goal has converged with that of most NATO member states. In a tweet posted after a Wednesday morning meeting with Tillerson but before Trump's announcement, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called the administration's imminent Jerusalem announcement a "grave mistake."

Jerry Nelson spends much of his time poking Trump’s meth-addled, uneducated fans with a pointy stick and is currently writing a book of muskrat recipes as well as a scrapbook of his favorite death threats. His life’s aspiration is to rule the world with an iron fist, or find that sock he’s been looking for. Feel free to email him at jandrewnelson2@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments — or join the million (seriously) or so who follow him on Twitter @Journey_America. Never far from his Marlboros and coffee, Jerry is always interested in discussing future writing opportunities.

Check out Jerry's latest writing gigs on FiverrPro.

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