US Congress demands embassy move to Jerusalem


January 22, 2017
Sarah Benton
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This posting has these items:
1) The Intercept: Senators Threaten to Cut Worldwide Embassy Security If U.S. Doesn’t Move Its Israeli Embassy to Jerusalem, just in case the American diplomats on the ground don’t think such a move is a good thing;
2) Haaretz: Netanyahu Briefed on Scenarios of Violence Should Trump Move Embassy to Jerusalem, Barak Ravid reports;
3) Ma’an: Palestinian activists burn pictures of Trump as the controversial figure is sworn into office;
4) Congress: A Bill To recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel;



Senators Threaten to Cut Worldwide Embassy Security If U.S. Doesn’t Move Its Israeli Embassy to Jerusalem

By Zaid Jilani, The Intercept
January 04 2017

A TRIO OF GOP senators has introduced legislation that would cut security, construction, and maintenance funds for U.S. embassies around the world in half until the president moves the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

In 1995, Congress passed a law requiring the federal government to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all campaigned on relocating the embassy and executing this law. But once in office, every one of them invoked a waiver in the law that allows them to hold off on the move if they deem it necessary to the national security interests of the United States to do so.

Moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem would be seen as a green light to some Israeli government officials, such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who seek to make Jerusalem the undivided capital of the state of Israel. That, in turn, would preclude the Palestinians from establishing a state that includes East Jerusalem. Most international observers believe that this would render the two-state solution impossible and thus be damaging to peace.

The pattern has been for candidates to campaign on the pledge, which is strongly sought by pro-Israel activists who are influential during election season, but drop it once they reach the Oval Office. While campaigning for president, Donald Trump initially wouldn’t commit to moving the embassy — but by the end of the campaign cycle placed himself fully behind the relocation to Jerusalem.

Because history suggests he might change his mind, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and Nevada Sen. Dean Heller introduced the new legislation, which would include real — and dangerous — consequences for U.S. diplomatic staff if Trump refuses to quickly relocate the embassy. The bill would immediately cut in half funding for embassy security, construction, and maintenance until the relocation occurs. In fiscal years 2018 and 2019, it would cut off all security, construction, and maintenance funding worldwide except for the embassy in Tel Aviv until it is relocated.

Ironically, Cruz and Rubio loudly attacked the Obama administration for failing to properly secure the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where four Americans including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens were slain in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2012.

Eight months after the attack, Cruz wrote in the National Review: “Our brave men and women who continue to put their lives on the line every day in similar, dangerous situations deserve to know we are doing everything possible not only to protect them in the event of a terrorist attack, but also to deter these attacks from happening again. Better late than never.”

In the summer of 2016, Rubio lamented in a Breitbart post that “leadership was sadly lacking in this case and resulted in disaster” and called on the government to properly secure diplomats in the future.

“It is my hope that this report serves as a reminder of the importance of allocating the appropriate resources to keep all Americans safe, both at home and around the world,” he wrote. “Congress and the Executive Branch need to work together to do everything possible to make sure something like this does not happen again.”



Netanyahu Briefed on Scenarios of Violence Should Trump Move Embassy to Jerusalem
Prime minister isn’t sure whether or when the incoming U.S. president would announce the embassy’s relocation, but has told defence officials to complete security preparations by the inauguration.

By Barak Ravid, Haaretz premium
January 21, 2017

The army, police and Shin Bet security service have presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior ministers with scenarios of worsening violence should incoming President Donald Trump announce the relocation of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Netanyahu has ordered defence officials to prepare for such a possibility from the moment Trump takes office Friday evening Israel time, senior Israeli officials said.

Earlier this week, Netanyahu convened a special security consultation on preparations for an announcement by Trump on the embassy. Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan were present, as were senior officials from the Israel Defence Forces, police and Shin Bet.

According to two senior Israel officials with knowledge of the consultations, Netanyahu and other officials at the meeting said Israel did not have definite information on whether or when Trump would announce an embassy move. One official said Netanyahu had spoken by phone with Trump a number of times since his election, but as of the meeting he had not received a clear answer on the embassy.

The meeting was held especially against the backdrop of the Palestinian media campaign on the possibility of the embassy move. One official said some Palestinian officials had made calls for violence over the issue.

The Shin Bet, Military Intelligence and police intelligence have no information on a clear warning that attacks or disturbances would take place, the ministers at the meeting were told. One scenario is that relative quiet might follow an announcement on moving the embassy, with the Palestinian response taking place only in the media and among officials.

But the IDF and police mentioned their preparations for scenarios of limited violence or even a conflagration across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. One official noted that since the issue revolves around Jerusalem, the Palestinians believed that the issue had religious overtones, further increasing its sensitivity.

According to senior officials, at the the end of the meeting, Netanyahu told the IDF, police and Shin Bet to complete their security preparations by Trump’s inauguration. Amid the uncertainty, the assumption is that Trump could make an announcement on the embassy any moment after he enters the White House.

Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Thursday that an announcement on moving the embassy to Jerusalem was “coming soon” – he encouraged journalists to “stay tuned.”

Trump told the Sheldon Adelson-owned Israel Hayom daily on Wednesday that he “hasn’t forgotten” his campaign pledge to move the embassy. “And you know I’m not a person who breaks his promises,” he said.

Around two weeks ago, the Palestinians launched a media and diplomatic campaign against moving the embassy. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas referred to the matter a number of times, saying the Palestinians would not react violently to such a move, but would use diplomatic and legal channels. Abbas also sent a letter to Trump asking him not to relocate the embassy, noting that moving it to Jerusalem would have a devastating effect on the peace process.

Arab countries are also working against the relocation of the embassy. A number of Arab ambassadors to Washington have met with Trump’s advisers and warned them of the consequences.

Jordanian Media Affairs Minister Mohammed al-Momani said moving the embassy to Jerusalem would cross a red line and have “catastrophic consequences.”

Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told the American media over the last two weeks that relocating the embassy could lead to “an absolute explosion” in Israel, the West Bank and the Middle East. It would have a negative impact on relations between Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

“You’d have an explosion,” he told CBS. “You’d have an explosion – an absolute explosion in the region, not just in the West Bank and perhaps even in Israel itself, but throughout the region. The Arab world has enormous interest in the Haram al-Sharif, as it is called, the Temple Mount, the Dome [of the Rock], and it is a holy site for the Arab world.”

As Kerry put it, “And if all of a sudden Jerusalem is declared to be the location of our embassy, that has issues of sovereignty, issues of law that it would deem to be affected by that move and by the United States acquiescing in that move, and that would have profound impact on the readiness of Jordan and Egypt to be able to be as supportive and engaged with Israel as they are today.”




Palestinian activists burn pictures of Trump as the controversial figure is sworn into office

By Ma’an news
January 21, 2017

BETHLEHEM — Amid US President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday, Palestinian activists burned pictures of the controversial US leader at the separation wall’s gate at the northern entrance of Bethlehem city in the southern occupied West Bank. Participants told Ma’an that the event was a message of their rejection of the president and the new administration’s support for moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The activity included hanging up pictures of Trump with slogans rejecting his views, which many have called divisive and racist. As activists began burning images of Trump, Israeli forces quickly arrived and attempted to expel them from the area, while threatening to use force on the activists.

Israeli forces then tore apart pictures and signs used during the demonstration. Journalist Muhammad al-Lahham, who participated in the activity, said that the protest was launched in order to raise warnings of the backlash that will likely erupt both in the occupied Palestinian territory and around the world if the new administration went through with moving the embassy.

He added that Jerusalem is not just a Palestinian issue, but a concern for all Arab and Islamic countries. “Trump supporting this Jewish state is exactly like supporting ISIS,” al-Lahham said, reiterating claim by critics who have drawn comparisons between the fight for an Islamic caliphate with an establishment of a Jewish state.

The fate of Jerusalem has been a focal point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades, with numerous tensions arising over Israeli threats regarding the status of non-Jewish religious sites in the city, and the “Judaization” of occupied East Jerusalem through settlement construction and mass demolitions of Palestinian homes.

Trump’s campaign promise of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has been met with applause by right-wing Israeli officials and strongly condemned by Palestinians and the international community.

The now Republican-dominated US congress has already introduced a bill that would move the US embassy to Jerusalem, as Republicans control both the Senate and House of Representatives for the first time since 2007. The US House of Representatives meanwhile approved a bipartisan resolutionrejecting UN resolution 2334 that passed last month strongly denouncing Israel’s illegal settlement building in occupied Palestinian territory, and instead stated their unwavering commitment and support for the state of Israel.

The resolution confirmed US commitment as a diplomatic ally to the Israeli government and demands that the US government dismiss any future UN resolutions they deemed “anti-Israel.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s choice for US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, has been described as a “pro-settler lawyer” who has openly announced his disdain for the two-state solution and his support for recognizing an undivided Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

He has positioned himself as a divisive and controversial figure in Israeli-Palestinian politics, accusing former US President Barack Obama of being an “antiSemite” and comparing American Jews who oppose the half-century occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to Nazi prisoners who served as guards in concentration camps.

Friedman also serves as president of the American Friends in Beit El Yeshiva — a group that supports the illegal settlement of Beit El near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

As a result of the Trump administration’s vocal support for Israel and its settlement policy, right-wing Israeli politicians have been delaying several bills until after Trump’s inauguration, as Israeli officials have publicly stated they will more easily advance plans to expand Israeli settlements and consolidate Israeli annexation of occupied East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank.

A bill to annex the illegal Maale Adumim settlement is expected to be introduced on Sunday two days after Trump’s inauguration. The bill’s creator, ultra-right Education Minister Naftali Bennett said following the election of Trump that his presidency would mark the end of a push for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

“This is the position of the President-elect, as written in his platform, and it should be our policy, plain and simple. The era of a Palestinian state is over,” he said.

Maale Adumim is the third largest settlement in population size, encompassing a large swath of land deep inside the occupied West Bank. Many Israelis consider it an Israeli suburban city of Jerusalem, despite it being located on occupied Palestinian territory in contravention of international law.

Calls to annex the massive settlement — seen as paving the way for the annexation of the majority of the occupied West Bank — have gained momentum among Israel’s lawmakers and ministers following the passage of a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements and reaffirming their clear illegality.

Meanwhile, the controversial outpost “Legalization bill,” which passed its first reading in the Knesset at the end of 2016, is believed to have been postponed until after Trump is officially sworn in so it can more easily pass its second and third reading without US condemnation.

The controversial bill would see the legalization of Israeli outposts which are deemed illegal by both Israeli and international law, and would cause what the Israeli NGO Peace Now called “grand land robbery.”All Israeli settlements and outposts in the occupied Palestinian territory are deemed illegal under international law, despite the Israeli government’s official recognition of the some 196 settlements scattered across the occupied West Bank.

Last month, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General Saeb Erekat warned that the PLO would revoke all previously signed agreements with Israel as well as the PLO’s 1993 recognition of Israel if Trump followed through on his pledge to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

During a conference call in Washington D.C. organized by the Wilson Center, Erekat reportedly said such a move would indicate the US’s acceptance of “Israel’s illegal annexation of East Jerusalem,” and further warned that “any hope of peace in the future will just vanish,” Times of Israel reported.



A BILL Introduced in the US Senate January 3rd 2017, House of Representatives January 7th.

To recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, to relocate to Jerusalem the United States Embassy in Israel, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act of 2015”.

SEC. 2. RECOGNITION OF JERUSALEM AS THE CAPITAL OF ISRAEL AND RELOCATION OF THE UNITED STATES EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM.

(a) Policy.—It is the policy of the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel, both de jure and de facto.
(b) Sense Of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that—

(1) Jerusalem must remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected as they have been by Israel since 1967;

(2) every citizen of Israel should have the right to reside anywhere in the undivided city of Jerusalem;

(3) the President and the Secretary of State should publicly affirm as a matter of United States policy that Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of the State of Israel;

(4) the President should immediately implement the provisions of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (Public Law 104–5) and begin the process of relocating the United States Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem; and

(5) United States officials should refrain from any actions that contradict United States law on this subject.

c) Removal Of Waiver Authority.—The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (Public Law 104–45) is amended—

(1) by striking section 7; and

(2) by redesignating section 8 as section 7.

(d) Identification Of Jerusalem On Government Documents.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any official document of the United States Government which lists countries and their capital cities shall identify Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

(e) Timetable.—

(1) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States that the United States Embassy in Israel should be established in Jerusalem as soon as possible, but not later than January 1, 2017.

(2) OPENING DETERMINATION.—Not more than 50 percent of the funds appropriated to the Department of State for fiscal year 2015 for “Acquisition and Maintenance of Buildings Abroad” may be obligated until the Secretary of State determines and reports to Congress that the United States Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened.

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