Trump's Recognition of Jerusalem: Reactions from Advocacy Organizations in the U.S.
Compiled By: The Arab America Team
Wednesday, December 6, 2017, President Trump announced his administration’s plan to formally recognize the city of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Such a move has caused much uproar from the international community as well as from think tanks and organizations in the United States. The following is a compilation of organizations and their official statements on this decision.
“The US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), a national coalition of hundreds of groups working for freedom, justice, and equality, strongly opposes the Trump administration’s intent to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv.
Recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel flies in the face of international law, the consensus of the international community, and decades of US foreign policy. Accepting Israel’s illegal annexation of Jerusalem to Israel, most notably occupied East Jerusalem, legitimizes Israel’s illegal actions in the city, including its ongoing displacement and disenfranchisement of the city’s Palestinian residents.
Such a move legitimizes Jerusalem’s current separate-and-unequal – otherwise known as apartheid – regime between Israeli Jews and Palestinians, which discriminates against Palestinians in municipal planning services, taxation, housing and education, and is designed to demographically engineer a permanent Jewish majority. Further, it will legitimize Israel’s violations in Jerusalem of the Fourth Geneva Convention, including but not limited to its demolition of Palestinian homes, its illegal settlements, and apartheid wall.
Yousef Munayyer, USCPR Executive Director said, “A decision such as this is both morally wrong and politically dangerous. Not only is Donald Trump deliberately insulting the Palestinian people, but also Arabs and Muslims around the world. In doing so, he is relinquishing what little credibility the United States had left in a region that is already rife with conflict and division. The United States has attempted to shepherd the so-called ‘peace process’ on the basis that it can play the role of mediator but by clearly adopting an Israeli position as its own, it makes clear it is not even pretending anymore.”
For 70 years, the US has given Israel tacit approval and diplomatic cover to steal Palestinian land, build illegal Jewish settlements, and deny Palestinians in East Jerusalem and elsewhere their rights. In spite of this, official US policy has always opposed recognizing Israel’s claims to sovereignity over Jerusalem. Trump’s recognition does away with any pretense that the US is an unbiased peace mediator, and further endorses Israel’s illegal actions and abuses of Palestinian human rights in the city. This move is but another example of Trump emboldening Israel’s extreme right-wing government and settler movement, and drives home the shared values of Trump and Netanyahu’s right-wing governments, both of which incite and exploit racism, xenophobia, and fear for political gain.”
“Listening to President Trump’s announcement regarding Jerusalem was profoundly disturbing. It’s a devastating blow: to Muslims and Christians living under harsh Israeli rule in occupied Jerusalem; to Arab and Muslim sensitivities; and to U.S. relations with our Arab allies. It also damages U.S. leadership worldwide, since we have now broken ranks with the E.U. and the rest of the international community. Trump is playing with fire and the consequences will be grave. It was especially troubling to hear the President announcing measures that are bound to provoke and incite violence while at the same time absurdly preaching nonviolence and peace.”
“ADC Rejects Trump’s Attempt to Change Course on Jerusalem. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) vehemently opposes President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Today, President Trump stated that he wished to break from established U.S. foreign policy to serve the “best interests” of the U.S. and the Middle East peace process. President Trump’s announcement serves no one’s interest; instead, it will have an immediate and catastrophic impact internationally by undermining the Middle East peace process and inflaming anti-U.S. sentiment across the globe. Israel’s annexation and claim over Jerusalem is completely illegal under international law, as recognized by the entire world. The fate of Jerusalem has always been understood to be resolved by a completed peace deal between Israel and Palestine. Up until today, this was the U.S.’s official stance on Jerusalem.
Today, President Trump has completely reversed U.S. policy and greatly weakened the prospect any long-term chance at a substantive peace deal in the Middle East. By endorsing Israel’s annexation of Jerusalem, President Trump is acting against international law, hurting U.S. interests at home and abroad, and destroying U.S. credibility on an international stage. President Trump, today, stated that he wishes to achieve peace in Israel-Palestine, yet his announcement has done nothing but fuel opposition and discontent in one of the parties to the conflict as well as in Arab and Muslim communities across the globe. The Trump Administration’s actions will not promote peace; conversely, the decision destroys the prospect of peace, promotes violence, and dismantles the U.S. credibility as a diplomatic force around the world”.
“President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is a major policy shift that carries enormous risk. Warnings from Arab and European allies of the “explosive” consequences of the move aptly reflect the fragile dynamics in the region and the sensitivity of the question of Jerusalem to millions worldwide.
Trump’s decision is a radical departure from the decades-long U.S. policy to not take a position on a matter that ought to be negotiated between the conflicting parties. The United States pioneered the two-state solution of an independent Israel and Palestine living side-by-side. Previous U.S. administrations have remained consistent on this policy and have worked assiduously to arrive at a final settlement along the two-state parameters.This major policy shift, however, renders a negotiated solution, and any attempt to relaunch the peace process, extremely difficult. The final status of Jerusalem must ultimately be decided by Israelis and Palestinians through a peace process that is guaranteed by the United States.
Given the high sensitivity of the question of Jerusalem as a holy city for Christians, Muslims, and Jews, the decision risks provoking violence, not only between Israelis and Palestinians, but also toward U.S. missions, servicemen and women, and citizens abroad. The United States should avoid undertakings that exacerbate tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but rather maintain policies that are geared toward finding a lasting peace.”
“The National U.S. – Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) regrets the decision by the U.S. Government to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. While these are essentially political decisions — and NUSACC is a business organization, not a political organization — the Chamber believes that these steps are unhelpful. They may well have a negative impact on U.S. business interests in the 22 nations of the Arab world, one of America’s most reliable international markets.”
“The American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine (AFRP) stands firmly against President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize the occupied city of Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel in contravention of well-established international law for over 65 years and on the heels of U.N. Resolution 2334 in December 2016 declaring that Israel must cease its illegal settlement building throughout the Palestinian Territories, including in Jerusalem.
President Trump upended a 23-year tradition of American presidents signing a waiver that delays plans to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Every six months, sitting US presidents signed this waiver out of regard for the consequences of making such a drastic move. Both Palestinians and Israelis view Jerusalem as their capital, and Trump’s recognition of the holy city as Israel’s capital is seen as flagrant contempt for Palestinians in the decades long conflict.
Under the 1947 U.N. Partition Plan, Jerusalem was meant to be internationally governed given its importance to Christianity, Judaism and Islam. But in 1948, in violation of the U.N. partition, Zionists seized the western part of Jerusalem. Since then, and in the reaffirmation of Israel’s military dominance in 1967, Jerusalem and its Palestinian residents have been subjected to Israel’s inhumane military occupation and illegal settlement expansion. The annexation of East Jerusalem has never been formally recognized by the international community. The AFRP and its over 40,000 members in the business, medical and legal communities throughout the U.S. are alarmed by President Trump’s willful ignorance to (i) the international community, (ii) the basis for this well-established precedent, (iii) the intent for the future of Jerusalem since 1947, and (iv) any objective understanding of the facts on the ground for Palestinians living under military occupation including in Jerusalem.
The AFRP stands with the Palestinians currently living in the illegally occupied area of East Jerusalem. Palestine has held Jerusalem as the capital of their future country throughout the peace process, and President Trump’s move today has determined the city’s fate and removed any chance for brokering peace in the region.
The AFRP encourages its members to peacefully protest this move by gathering with other Arab American organizations, expressing their frustration with their elected officials, submitting opinion pieces to their local newspapers, using the hashtag #HandsOffJerusalem on social media and signing this petition: https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/president-trump-dont-1.fb52?source=c.fb&r_by=19367657.
Now is a time for the AFRP to use its strength as a well-connected community to voice concerns about the administration’s one-sided approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
“Today, contrary to longstanding U.S. policy, President Trump announced that he recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and ordered the State Department to begin planning to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, defying warnings and recommendations from U.S. allies of such a politically risky move.
Historically, Jerusalem has been a barrier to a peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians. While Palestine was partitioned in 1947, Jerusalem was left as an international city. Palestinians and Jews feel strongly about the city’s religious significance and consider Jerusalem to be a crucial part of religious history and a symbol of national identity.
The ACRL strongly opposes Trump’s intervention on the status of Jerusalem, as it has the potential to lead to a diplomatic crisis and could spark a crisis across the Middle East and derail any hope for an Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The ACRL sees this as an unnecessary decision and sabotages relations with the Palestinians and embarrasses the United States on the global stage.
Most critics agree this is an unwise decision. The Trump administration has showed over and over again their lack of respect and commitment to this community and stability around the world. Today, the ACRL stands united with its Arab partners around the world in condemning this outrageous and irresponsible decision, and hopes for calm and peace in these times.
“It’s unfortunate that President Trump, who claims wants peace in the Middle East, would do such a detrimental act to kill any chance of peace in that region of the world. The Trump administration has yet again shown total disregard to the Middle Eastern community and the consequences this move would have in the United States and around the world,” says founder Nabih Ayad.”
