Donald TrumpDespite opposition from members of his own administration, Drumpf declared the following today:
1. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
2. The US Embassy in Israel will relocate to Jerusalem.
As one would expect, the reaction has been rather divided:
Zionists and many Israelis (though not all Israelis) have warmly welcomed Drumpf's declaration, including the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu:
Benjamin NetanyahuSimilarly, many oppose the move, including
Linda Sarsour, Palestinian Muslim activist and co-chair of the 2017 Women's March:
Linda Sarsour---
Wondering why Drumpf's announcement is causing such an uproar? Jerusalem is not actually the Israeli capital.
In 1947, the UN passed the UN Partition Plan, a resolution supporting the partitioning of what was then Mandatory Palastine, or Palestine under British Mandate, into a Jewish State, an Arab State, and a Special International Regime for Jerusalem. This Special International Regime was in recognition of the fact that so many different groups lay claim to Jerusalem and that no one group should hold a monopoly over the city as a result.
Of course, things fell apart shortly after and various groups have occupied different parts of Jerusalem ever since, but the key takeaway is this: in the beginning Jerusalem was
never intended to be the Israeli capital.
Presently, neither West nor East Jerusalem are internationally recognised as being part of Israel. East Jerusalem is generally viewed as being part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Despite widespread international opposition, however, Israel continues to claim Jerusalem as its own.
For more information:
Crooked MediaAl JazeeraSome
celebrities have waded into the fray:
Jon FavreauAndy RichterRosieGeorge TakeiRetweeted by Rosie, originally tweeted by
Jake Tapper.
Jeremy Corbyn, UK Labour Leader and
opening act for the Libertines.
Ben Shapiro, radio talk show host, media personality, and author.
Brendan Kelly, musician.
Katie Hopkins, British television personality and author.
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TL;DR? Cher summed things up quite nicely in her response to the situation:
Cher(Putz, from the Yiddish פּאָץ, is a slang word meaning penis or fool.
The more you know~)
Mods, each tweet is immediately followed by its source. This is a sensitive topic for many. I tried to be objective, but just in case I didn't manage it:Just a quick reminder:
Zionist =/= Israeli =/= Jewish. You can be one without being any of the others, only two out of three, all three at the same time, or none of the above.
Yes, there are many Jews celebrating this announcement. Yes, there are some Jews saying terrible, awful things. That being said, many Jews also strongly oppose this declaration [myself included], as well as Zionism more generally [myself included (2)]. The Jewish community is not a monolith.
Similarly, Palestinians [both in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and in the Palestinian diaspora] are not a monolith. Anger and outrage on the part of Palestinians is understandable and does not serve to justify Drumpf's decision. This has been a devastating blow to all individuals working towards peace in the region.
This is a very sensitive topic on both sides and emotions run high no matter which side appears to be "winning" [spoiler: no one's winning]. To make matters more complicated, some of the people who are supporting this move the loudest right now are goyim with no significant personal ties to the region.
