Trump announces Israel embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
Over one week ago, President Trump announced that this plan to establish Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, along with a policy to move the United States’ embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as an action of literal recognition of the new capital. This decision is highly controversial due to the deep rooted conflict in the region of Israel and Palestine.
The Jewish state of Israel was established in 1948, much to the chagrin of Muslims residing in the country, as well as bordering Arab countries such as Egypt. Many Muslims within the newly named country of a rival religion moved and settled in Palestine, a small strip of Israeli land. Some went as far as moving to a foreign country, which established Islamic burrows in certain countries such as Bosnia and Indonesia. Violent conflict between Palestinians and Israeli fighters has been commonplace for decades.
With this in mind, Trump’s decision to move Israel’s capital to Jerusalem, the holiest city on the globe that the Christian, Jewish and Islamic religions all lay claim to, is extremely controversial and upsetting to some, especially Palestinians. In response to Trump’s announcement, an abundance of protests organized by Muslims have erupted around the world, not just by Palestinians but also most notably by the Palestinian diasporas in Jakarta, Indonesia, and in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The United Nations have released that they are developing a vote that is spearheaded by Egypt to veto this change, denying Trump his decision and preventing bias towards the Israelis in global politics. Although the specific details of the vote have not yet been released, the vote is expected to fall greatly against the move to Jerusalem due to religious bias. This means that Israel will be unable to change their capital without facing a great amount of consequences from UN members apart from the United States.
Both evangelists and pro-Israel lobbyists are responsible for funding a great amount of Trump’s campaign, and he has met with these religious advocates frequently in the past two years. Trump had always planned to move the capital to Israel, and held meetings regarding the move beginning in September 2016. The UN has yet to decide for or against the move.