A) Why is there widespread support in the U.S. for moving the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, as NPR is reporting just now?
B) How will it benefit the U.S. to move the embassy to Jerusalem?
C) How will the move benefit Israel if it heightens tensions with Palestinians?
D) What is the train of thought that leads President Trump to proclaim that this will help stabilize and bring peace to the region?
I don't get it. Israeli soldiers are shooting stone-throwers with live ammo. Over 50 are dead now. This seems like a big disaster politically, globally, and from a p.r. point of view. What am I missing.
Some of the evangelicals think it will jump-start the Second Coming. Why they think that would be a good thing is unclear. I'm not seeing how it will benefit the U.S. at all, except to get brownie points with the Netanyahu government. Some say it will benefit Israel by taking an illegitimate demand by the Palestinians off the table, and force them to negotiate about actual needs that can be accomplished. I'm not seeing how it will force them to do anything of the kind.
ReplyDeleteAs for President Trump's "train of thought", I think it left the station long ago. He doesn't have a clue what might stabilize the region. He is just ticking it off the list of the campaign promises he made. Have you noticed that is what is driving everything he does lately? He's playing to his base, and he is also playing the bad-boy reality tv star. And he'd rather think about stuff like this than inconvenient things such as possible indictments, and witnesses "flipping". He is more or less responsible for over 50 people dying as a result of his little stunt.
Yes - Trump is playing to his base. He has two pushes - one is his Jewish daughter and her family. Jared was a big fan of moving the embassy. But the bigger influence was the evangelical christians, including his VP. He knows that without them he would not have won. He knows that if they abandon him, his reelection chances plummet. So, he gives them everything they want. And they are firmly Zionist - awaiting Jesus, who won't return until Zion is fully restored.
ReplyDelete"He knows that if they abandon him, his reelection chances plummet."
DeleteIf I had been drinking, this would probably be the booze talking, but: I sometimes idly wonder whether Trump would run for reelection. 1. If I'm not mistaken, he turns 74 in June of 2020. I guess 74 is the new 44, but I'm pretty sure that when I'm 74, I won't be voluntarily seeking additional stressful situations in my life beyond whatever stresses come with being 74. 2. If we are to believe the fellow who wrote the book a few months ago, he never actually wanted to be president anyway. The fact that he watches television all morning sort of reinforces that notion in my mind. 3. It's entirely possible that he'll lose the House, the Senate or both this year; I've listed those possibilities in ascending order of how bad things will be for him in those respective eventualities. His enemies, who are legion, show no sign of relenting their attacks on him in any case. 4. And if he's not president anymore, he can go back to making money and not paying his vendors without the media dogging him about it.
All this supposes that he won't be removed from office during this term.
But I suppose the fatal flaw in all this analysis is in assuming that his ego can stand to be out of the spotlight it's in now.
Jim, you could be right about Trump not running again. But then the question arises, who would be running? Will some of the same line-up we had before try it again? Most of them would be only marginally better, but maybe they would at least stay off of Twitter.
DeleteKatherine - in 2015-16, there were something like 15 Republican candidates besides Trump. I'd guess there would be at least that many next time around. The days of a disciplined and united GOP are long behind us.
DeleteA) Because the economy is doing fine, and Kim Jung Un has surrendered to Gen. Trump.
ReplyDeleteB) There will be fewer nasty tweets while the president basks in the glory he has so richly earned.
C) You don't understand: Embassies in Tel Aviv are an existential threat to Israel. The Turkish government and its recalled ambassador are an existential threat to Israel. Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia and the Emirates are existential threats to Israel. Palestinians are especially existential threats to Israel.
D) It makes it impossible for Jared Kushner to make peace in the Middle East, so he will never upstage the president by succeeding in the job the president gave him.
E) You didn't ask, but because Obama didn't do it.
I like today's official Israeli position: Hamas is pushing people in front of innocent Israeli bullets.
ReplyDeleteDon't tell Trump: It is an ideal solution to those women and children threatening our southern border.
Yeah, I saw that. They aim for the legs, but sometimes it doesn't work out. Also released footage of about half dozen people storming the fence and calling it an invasion. Dave me from the Zionists.
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