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2. Recognition of Jerusalem as capitol of Israel. This is a complex issue and too many people fail to grasp the nuances involved in it. By moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the USA sends a message that it is no longer an honest broker who is attempting to resolve issues between Israel and the Palestinians. Rather, this move signals the USA is now firmly on Israel's side period. As such, the USA no longer has the credibility to act as a neutral broker in this dispute. I have other issues with Trump's action as well. Any real negotiator who was considering such a move would have extracted a concession from Israel first. Perhaps, they could have agreed to stop building settlements on the West Bank? Trump's failure to ask for anything in return, leads me to (1) question his negotiating skills; and (2) do anything in the Middle East that isn't 100% pro Israel. I personally think moving the embassy should wait until an overall resolution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict takes place. If it takes fifty years, fine. Meanwhile, we still have an embassy in Tel Aviv. Israel has the right to designate its capitol. The USA has a right to say where it will maintain an embassy in a country.
I suspect the real reason this occurred was because of two people: Jared Kushner (Trump's son-in-law) and Sheldon Adelson (a huge contributor to the republican party). In any event, its poor foreign policy to simply be acting on the wishes of a couple of people.
The reality is that neither of these two actions are in the long term interest of the American people.
If we really are going to be honest. The U.S. was never an honest neutral broker in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Looking at the amount of aid and weapons we've supplied to the Israelis for decades that should be obvious.
But I've never seen an administration kowtow to Israel like this one has.
After Hurricane Harvey hit a Texas City near Houston made those who applied for aid swear an oath not to boycott Israel.
The issue, OP, is WHO DEFINES what the US's interests are? A contemptible blustering fool like t-Rump? You? Me? Whoever will be president in 2021? The Koch brothers? The hoi polloi? The congresspeople who are bought and paid for by whichever special interest groups are the most dominant at any given moment?
And who defines what the world's interests are? The UN? Multinational corporations like Monsanto and Sinopec and Exor? The various dominant branches of the various dominant religions?
Yes, IMHO, the US should put it's interests before Israel's interests. Israel is an evil aggressor nation. I completely support Hammas, and wish them the very best of luck with everything they do.
And what rights have been denied to you by the "evil liberals"?
Are you seriously going to deny that there is a well-organized effort on our campuses (especially those linked to the public sector) to shout down all those in disagreement with the "pop wisdom"? -- and to stigmatize those brave enough to speak up as automatically in league with the demonized (and often just as intolerant) "traditionalist" conservatives?
Are you seriously going to deny that there is a well-organized effort on our campuses (especially those linked to the public sector) to shout down all those in disagreement with the "pop wisdom"? -- and to stigmatize those brave enough to speak up as automatically in league with the demonized (and often just as intolerant) "traditionalist" conservatives?
I hardly call a couple of thugs well-organized and representative of every Liberal in the country. Would you mind if we lumped all Conservatives in the mold of Richard Spencer or Alex Jones?
How about Great Britain's colonial rule of India among other places, as well as the atrocities committed in an attempt to maintain rule? Or their support for the apartheid South African government? (Margaret Thatcher used to refer to Nelson Mandela as a terrorist.)
How about the U.S.'s involvement in a little fracas in Southeast Asia?
How about the U.S.'s secret bombing of neutral Cambodia?
How about the puppet governments the U.S. has installed and/or supported in Latin America, including coups specifically instigated by the CIA.
How about the CIA instigating a coup against the democratically-elected prime minister of Iran in 1953 and installing a dictator? In fact, how about the U.S.'s overall involvement in Middle East internal politics throughout the 1950s and beyond by way of covert CIA operations?
How about the U.S. secretly selling arms to our "good buddies" in Iran in the 1980s in order to secretly fund an effort to overthrow the democratically-elected government in Nicaragua.
How about the U.S. invading Iraq in 2003 under the false pretense of Iraq having "weapons of mass destruction."
Shall I go on?
Politics is a hard game where men nail each other to the cross for freedom. (Their own of course).
If you personally were in a position of power, you would play the game by those same rules.
Which say nothing about apologies, and you wouldn't apologize either.
Armchair apologies are an easy game that anyone can play.
If we really are going to be honest. The U.S. was never an honest neutral broker in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Looking at the amount of aid and weapons we've supplied to the Israelis for decades that should be obvious.
Quite true. Neither were the pro-Arab Western countries like France or "Europe" that have relations with both sides.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ro2113
But I've never seen an administration kowtow to Israel like this one has.
After Hurricane Harvey hit a Texas City near Houston made those who applied for aid swear an oath not to boycott Israel.
I don't know if it is unconstitutional but it raises some serious ethical questions.
Who more likely had mobile hospitals in Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico, and/or the Caribbean? Not the Arab side.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 601halfdozen0theother
Yes, IMHO, the US should put it's interests before Israel's interests. Israel is an evil aggressor nation. I completely support Hammas, and wish them the very best of luck with everything they do.
I appreciate your honesty. Next time someone like Leon Klingenhoffer, who hurt no one, is shot and dumped in to the Mediterranean I'll remember your support of that kind of barbarity. Yes, I know Hamas is a different group than the organizers of that particular tragedy but the groups are fluid and very similar in goals and methods.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bale002
Armchair apologies are an easy game that anyone can play.
You mean Obama?
Quote:
Originally Posted by aquietpath
Gender issues have no place in a climate treaty.
That was only one of the left-wing dog whistles in that treaty. The treaty had nothing to do with remediation of climate; it was mostly about redistributing money from the productive people to the ruling class of Third World countries.
Armchair apologies are an easy game that anyone can play.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbgusa
You mean Obama?
No, I mean talking heads in the media and on the internet.
I don't think Mr. Obama was very powerful in his own right, but he was obviously a highly skilled career politician, whom I respected as such, and as president he represented very powerful people, authorizing the deaths of human beings when he had to.
And I am sure that he will not apologize for doing the job that these powerful people hired him to do.
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