By TeleSur | – –
Trump’s signature campaign propsosal is modeled, he says, on Israel’s “successful separation barrier.”
Ahead of Monday’s presidential debate between U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the two nominees cozied up to their favorite ally in the Middle East, holding meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In Trump’s gaudy, gold penthouse in New York, the two discussed Israel’s apartheid wall at length, with Trump hailing it as inspiration for his own proposal to build a wall made of concrete and rebar as high as 55 feet along the nearly 2,000-mile border between the United States and Mexico.
Israel’s 440-mile wall, touted as necessary for “security” reasons, cuts deep into the West Bank and isolates Palestinians in the region into ghettos and “military zones.” Along with its vast expanse, it is decked out with electric fences, trenches, cameras, sensors, razor wire and military patrols.
And in following suit with the covenants of past U.S. presidents, Trump confirmed his intentions to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a disputed territory, once elected President.
“Mr. Trump acknowledged that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish People for over 3,000 years and that the United States, under a Trump administration, will finally accept the long-standing Congressional mandate to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel,” a statement by his campaign communications team, posted on his Facebook page, read.
Hillary Clinton, too, has established her pro-occupation bona fides, saying in a speech at AIPAC in March, “I feel so strongly that America can’t ever be neutral when it comes to Israel’s security or survival.” Last summer, she publicly denounced the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement last summer.
In planning her itinerary on Sunday, Clinton chose to meet Netanyahu in lieu of heading to Charlotte, the scene of city-wide protests after the police killing of a Black man last week, Keith Lamont Scott.
Via TeleSur
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Related video added by Juan Cole:
Euronews: “Trump vows to recognise Jerusalem as Israeli capital”
Several points:
(A) The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 passed by U.S. Congress called for the U.S. to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem by 1999 – but was not implemented due to executive resistance from each presidential administration from its passage to the present;
(B) previously, Israeli PM David Ben-Gurion had declared Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel but this was rejected by the United Nations;
(C) in 2000, PM Ehud Barak was presented with an Israeli government sponsored study which concluded that the concept of establishing Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital was not justified nor practically feasible;
(D) should Trump be elected and follow through on this campaign promise, the U.S. will be the only foreign country having an embassy located within Jerusalem – although the State Department has long maintained a consular office in Jerusalem.
The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem was first established in 1844, but for several decades now it has held a unique position among U.S. diplomatic missions. Its jurisdiction includes only Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. It does not fall under the direction or Jurisdiction of the American Embassy in Tel Aviv. It reports directly to, and falls under the jurisdiction of, the Department of State.
In effect, the U.S. Consulate General’s jurisdiction over Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, as well as its independence from American Embassy Tel Aviv’s jurisdiction and direction, make it the “de facto” (if unofficial) diplomatic mission to the Palestinians in those areas.
It establishes important contacts, performs political and economic reporting, and provides consular services. As a result of its mission, the Principal Officer (Consul General) and his staff have often been accused by the Israelis of harboring a “pro-Palestinian” stance. It has served us well as a conduit for contact with the Palestinian leadership and people.