Analysis by Kyle A. Lohmeier
Stymied by Democrats at every turn on issues that actually matter, like ending Obummercare and slashing taxes, President Donald Trump needed something he could point to as a “win.” And so, yesterday Trump announced that the United States would move its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. This brought about a promise of “three days of rage” from the Palestinian Authority plus a call for a general strike today. Hamas has called for a third intifada, or uprising, against Israel. Trump’s announcement resulted in clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian protesters near Ramallah and in East Jerusalem, but no other significant change. Yet, the announcement is being spun as a win in at least one place; yep, you guessed it.
“’President Trump has always linked himself to the history of our capital,’ he said. ‘His name will now float along with other names in the context of the glorious history of Jerusalem and our people.’
The prime minister also said he had already been in contact with other countries that were also ready to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
‘I have no doubt that as soon as the American Embassy moves to Jerusalem, and even before that, many embassies will move to Jerusalem. It’s about time,’” The Washington Post quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying.
The Washington Post article also cites Israeli columnists praising Trump for righting the “70-year-wrong” of the world not recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The basis for the world postponing the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was that the capital and related details would be hammered out in a final peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians. Trump claims his rationalization for making the announcement now was based partly on the fact no such peace deal is on the horizon and hasn’t been for a long time.
“…after more than two decades of waivers, we are no closer to a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. It would be folly to assume that repeating the exact same formula would now produce a different or better result. Therefore, I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” Trump said Wednesday.
Of course, all this wrangling over Israel and particularly which town hosts our embassy begs the question: Who gives a shit, really?
Well, evangelical American Christians do, and Trump decided to throw that huge chunk of his base much-needed bone after the embarrassing, ongoing calamity that is the Roy Moore senate campaign.
From a geo-strategic standpoint, Trump’s announcement was next to meaningless. Recognizing Jerusalem as the capital isn’t going to force both sides to the negotiating table – indeed an opposite effect was realized instantly. Israel isn’t suddenly more important an ally now, and their importance is overblown anyway. Who cares if they’re the only democracy in the Middle East? This hasn’t prevented the US from doing business with many of the region’s monarchies and dictatorships.
Israel has become the equivalent of America’s boat – a hole in the water (sand) that we just throw money into. And, it doesn’t even pull us around the lake on an inner tube a few times per summer – we get literally nothing from this. It just sits parked in our driveway, taking up space, irritating the neighbors and absorbing resources.
So, why do we do it? I fear the answer might be more frightening than my over-wrought boat analogy.
I’m convinced that a huge part of America’s foreign policy stance toward Israel is predicated upon the fact a whole lot of Americans honestly believe that we’ve got to keep the place nice for when Jesus comes back.
“We American Christians Welcome Trump’s Obedience to God’s Word on Jerusalem. Donald Trump is advancing the most biblically historic initiative of his presidency. It means Judeo-Christian America can say again: ‘Israel – We’ve got your back,’” reads the headline and sub-head of Laurie Cardoza-Moore’s opinion piece in the Israeli Daily Haaretz yesterday.
This gets more frightening given the age of the city of Jerusalem and its intrinsic connection to all three major Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity (Judaism 2.0) and Islam (Judaism 3.0) – specifically the site where the first and second Temples of King Solomon once stood. The problem for Jews and Christians is that the site now is home to the Al Aqsa Mosque, itself the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. This has been a long-standing problem for the end-times prophesies Christians awaiting the Rapture believe in.
“Like many Jews in Israel and around the world, Christians recognize Jews’ biblical connection through King David’s establishment of Jerusalem as the capitol of ancient Israel and the location for both the first and second Temples. According to the prophets, Ezekiel, Isaiah and the Apostle John in the New Testament, all Israel awaits the rebuilding of the Third Temple,” Cardoza-Moore wrote.
Let that last sentence sink in, I’ll wait.
Are the geopolitical positions of the United States government actually influenced by two ancient Hebrew historians and some apocryphal writings much later attributed to a man who likely didn’t even exist? It sure seems that way. Unlike Cardoza-Moore, I don’t see dots connecting the relocation of an American Embassy and the return of the Messiah (the mosque is still in the way of their own prophesies). All I see is a long-simmering, intractable conflict being needlessly exacerbated.
As an atheist, I naturally find this very alarming. As a thinking ape alive in 2017, I still find the idea of the world’s only military superpower being influenced by one of the world’s many silly religions totally unacceptable. Yet, with Trump’s historic announcement, there will be real religiously-motivated violence that gets living people killed over the writings of long dead people. There is no possible good that can come from this – though some will disagree.
“Many Christians ask me why we should be involved in ensuring that the U.S. Embassy be moved to Jerusalem, and I remind them that ‘USA’ is in the heart of ‘JerUSAlem’ – where else should our embassy be?” Cardoza-Moore concluded her column – she is, by the way, the founder and president of Proclaiming Justice to The Nations and Special Envoy to the United Nations for the World Council of Independent Christian Churches.
Well, there you have it: The English spelling of an ancient Hebrew word happens to contain the initials of our nation’s English-language name, thereby proving Trump is doing Gawd’s own work. Or something. Hell if I know.
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