The Reality of Jerusalem – Editorial
President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is hardly the radical policy departure that critics claim, and Mr. Trump accompanied it with an embrace of the two-state solution. Congress recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 1995 in a bill President Clinton declined to veto. Other presidents have agreed in principle, but in office they used a waiver to put off any formal recognition. Mr. Trump called his decision on Wednesday (6th) “a recognition of reality” and he’s right.
One way the Palestinian Authority could signal a new seriousness in reaching a peace deal would be to stop paying the families of Palestinians who kill innocent Israelis. The House passed the Taylor Force Act Tuesday (5th), which would reduce U.S. aid to the Palestinians until they renounce pay-for-slay payments. If the movement of an American embassy that was signaled more than 20 years ago is enough to scuttle peace talks, then maybe the basis for peace doesn’t yet exist.
(wallstreetjournal.com)
Why Trump is right in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital – Alan M. Dershowitz
President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a perfect response to President Obama’s decision to change American policy by engineering the UN Security Council resolution declaring Judaism’s holiest places in Jerusalem to be occupied territory, handing the Palestinians enormous leverage in future negotiations and disincentivizing them from making a compromised peace.
The Security Council resolution changed the status quo by declaring Israel’s presence at Jewish holy sites to be a “flagrant violation under international law.” President Trump’s decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital helps to restore the appropriate balance.
Since virtually everyone in the international community acknowledges that any reasonable peace would recognize Israel’s legitimate claims in Jerusalem, there is no reason for allowing the UN resolution to make criminals out of every Jew or Israeli who sets foot in these historically Jewish areas. President Trump was right to undo the damage wrought by his predecessor.
(thehill.com)
Czech President: ‘May follow US lead, move embassy to Jerusalem’
Czech President Milos Zeman commented on President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and his decision to move the U.S. embassy there, saying, “It made me very happy. In my visit to Israel four years ago I said I supported moving the Czech embassy to Jerusalem. We may follow the U.S.’s lead sooner or later.
“Every country has a right to decide which city is to serve as its capital,” Zeman added.
(ynetnews.com)
2 rockets launched at Israel from Gaza, IDF retaliates
Palestinian terrorists launched two rockets at Israel Thursday evening (7th), causing the Code Red alert to sound in Sderot and the Hof Ashkelon and Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Councils. The rockets reportedly landed within the Gaza Strip itself.
The IDF said a tank and aircraft struck two Hamas terror posts in Gaza. The military added that Hamas is considered responsible for any fire emanating from the Gaza Strip.
(ynetnews.com)
Hamas leader Haniyeh calls for Intifada against Israel over Jerusalem status
Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh on Thursday (7th) called for an uprising in the West Bank and Jerusalem in response to US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and set in motion a process to relocate the US embassy in Israel, to the city.
“Tomorrow, December 8, 2017, should be a day of rage and the beginning of a major effort to rise up, which I will name the “Intifada of Jerusalem and the West Bank’s Freedom, “ Haniyeh said in a televised speech. “As we liberated Gaza, we are able…to free Jerusalem and the West Bank by the way of this popular struggle.
(jpost.com; reuters.com)
Fatah official: Vice President Pence ‘unwelcome in Palestine’
GAZA – A senior Palestinian official in Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ ruling Fatah party said on Thursday (7th) that Vice President Mike Pence, due to visit the region later this month, “is unwelcome in Palestine.”
“In the name of Fatah I say that we will not welcome Trump’s deputy in the Palestinian territories. He asked to meet Abbas on the 19th of this month in Bethlehem, such a meeting will not take place,” Jibril Rajoub said.
(reuters.com)
20 Palestinians arrested for attack on Israeli children in West Bank
Israeli security forces arrested 20 Palestinians from the village of Qusra in the West Bank early Thursday morning (7th) for being involved in an attack on a group of Israelis children hiking in the area Nov. 30.
During the raid, the forces found equipment stolen from the Israeli hikers.
(timesofisrael.com)
Separating fact and fiction at Susiya – Yoni Tobin
Last week 10 U.S. senators penned a letter imploring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “not to demolish the Palestinian village of Susiya.”
The letter describes Susiya as having existed since the 1830s and being home to 45 families. Except that rather than a small, functional village, Susiya is a smattering of tents – built illegally and kept alive only by generous contributions from European countries.
As William Booth wrote in August 2016 in the Washington Post,Susiya is entirely devoid of “streets, shops, or mosques and permanent homes….There are not many people there either.”
The site is directly adjacent to an ancient Jewish synagogue and historical site.
(algemeiner.com)
Man draped in Palestinian flag smashes Jewish restaurant windows in Dutch capital
A man with a Palestinian flag yelling “God is Great” was detained by police in the Netherlands on Thursday (7th) after smashing the windows of a kosher Jewish restaurant in Amsterdam.
The violent outburst came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a decision that reversed decades of US foreign policy.
“We are disgusted,” said the Jewish Community in The Netherlands. “The attack was an act of revenge, meant to instill fear, and is no less an act of terror.”
(reuters.com)
Large swastika painted on home of Jewish family in North Carolina
A large swastika was spray-painted on the garage door of a Jewish family in Charlotte, North Carolina, overnight Tuesday (5th).
Police painted over the swastika before the family’s children saw it.
The swastika was drawn days after the family put up decorations for Hanukkah.
There were 15 reported anti-semitic incidents in North Carolina in the first six months of 2017, according to Anti-Defamation League statistics, compared with one in the state in 2016.
(jta.org)
