As a country, we as a country left ourselves out of this conflict. We know that Palestine along with Israel are fighting for control for this land. Our stance on neutrality has been carefully maintained for the past 70 years, and it only took a "Tweet" from our President to create controversy. Although our President has identifies Jerusalem as the capital for Israel, our very own Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson even states that we still view Jerusalem as independent from Israel even going as far to state that "Passports of Americans born in Jerusalem will continue to say born in Jerusalem, not Israel. American Government maps won't identify Jerusalem as being inside Israel" (NY times). So where does the president get the power to make a national and very controversial decision that can ultimately affect the well being of Americans all over the world. This not only shows how abrupt our President is, but also illustrates the separation between our President with of all of appointed and elected officials.
1: Should Trump be allowed to give his own personal beliefs on such a fragile international problem?
2: Not only how will Palestine but the Global society react?
3: Will we ever fully recognize the city of Jerusalem as a Capital?
Unfortunately as our president, Trump should be allowed to have a personal opinion on an issue occurring overseas. But, expressing his opinion through a Tweet was a very unprofessional act. To avoid controversy, Trump very well could have kept his thoughts to himself, rather than publicizing them in such a poor manner.
ReplyDeleteTrump, like any other US citizen has the right to voice his opinion on any matter. The problem in this case is that his opinion actually matters and the issue is incredibly sensitive. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for decades and currently is very volatile. Trump's decision to abruptly declare Jerusalem as the capital has brought outrage to the global community and also created more tension between Israel and the Palestinians.
ReplyDeleteThere have already been protests arising in Jerusalem and outrage in the Middle East. If anything this has created more dissent. However, this moment is finally a point where the United States has established their position on the conflict. For years, the US has advocated for a solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, yet have never done much to solve the issue. Trump has done something different in asserting his stance on the issue with this announcement
ReplyDeleteAs the president, Trump is allowed to have his own opinions, but that doesn't mean he should voice them so publicly and without any filter. I think that is the key problem with our current president, the fact that he isn't really doing anything flat out wrong, but that he is pushing the boundaries of what he is allowed to do. He can have his opinions but he should, out of courtesy and to avoid outcry, keep them to himself or at least discuss with the rest of the government.
ReplyDeleteSince Trump recognized Jerusalem, the international governments, including Palestine, will be outraged. The Middle East is unstable already, Trump has put the United States in a more conflicted position. Historically, the United States has avoided taking either Israel's or Palestine's side and Trump's decision was alarming.
ReplyDeleteFirst things first, the United States is absolutely not neutral on this conflict. Israel and the United States have been overt allies since Israel's founding. In 1948, the U.S. was the first country in the world to recognize Israel's statehood. Since then, it has provided $121 billion in financial aid for the country, including moderate to extensive military aid in each of Israel's perpetual conflicts with its neighboring countries. Furthermore, the U.S. has used its position on the UN Security Council to pass a
ReplyDeletenumber of international resolutions that have helped to sustain Israel. Secondly, Trump isn't just "giving his personal beliefs." He is moving the United States Embassy to Jerusalem, functionally naming Jerusalem the unequivocal and undivided capital of Israel. Finally, the relocation of our embassy to Jerusalem has been a campaign promise made by every president since Bill Clinton's election in 1992. Trump is finally making it happen.
Trump indeed should be able to voice his opinion on the matter. However, due to the fact that the debate between Israel and Palestine over who is able to claim Jerusalem, is controversial, to say the least, Trump should have weighted the possible repercussions of his statement before speaking at all.
ReplyDeleteWhile the issue at hand is incredibly sensitive, as Elan said, every president has promised the move without success. This leads me to believe that Trump will have a hard time issuing the relocation. This is likely an empty promise that will not be completed due to the complexity of the issue and the large repercussions that will ensue following the decision.
ReplyDeleteYes, Trump should be able to give his opinion on this situation, in spite of the Israel-Palestine controversy. However, because the issue is so controversial, Trump should not have voiced his opinion through a tweet, which seems informal and unprofessional. Instead, regarding issues as fragile as this one, Trump ought to have thought out a clear and precise proposal to the solution and issue a formal statement instead of abruptly putting forth a bold statement.
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