US Embassy opening in Jerusalem is nail in coffin of peace process
By James Zogby
Updated 3:30 PM ET, Mon May 14, 2018
Palestinians killed in Gaza protests 01:43
James Zogby is co-founder and president of the Arab American Institute. He is director of Zogby Research Services, a firm that conducts surveys across the Middle East. He served two terms as an Obama appointee to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and is the author of Arab Voices. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.
(CNN)The opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem is dangerous, reckless and cruelly insensitive to the Palestinian people. The smiling Israeli and American guests at the opening ceremony on Monday -- juxtaposed with the deadly protests occurring on Gaza's border, where Israeli military forces have killed dozens of demonstrators -- only highlights how removed from reality the Trump administration is.
James Zogby
And the White House's invitation to two pastors, both of whom are known for making bigoted remarks toward other faiths, particularly Islam, to be part of the ceremony can only be seen as further evidence of the administration's thoughtlessness.
While we have all grown weary of hearing the mantra -- "this is the end of the peace process" -- Trump's decision may indeed be the nail in the coffin for any negotiated solution. In the first place, there is no peace process. It had instead been replaced by Israelis and Palestinians waiting for Trump aides to cook up "the deal of the century" -- that is, until Donald Trump made his Jerusalem announcement in December.
And the situation has only deteriorated since.
From the beginnings of the modern "peace process," there have been two fatal flaws that have hampered the effort: the asymmetry of power in Israel's favor and the clear US bias in support of Israel. Trump's action has accented both flaws. It has emboldened and rewarded the most hardline and intransigent elements in Israel, while weakening and compromising those Palestinian and Arab leaders who have put their trust in the United States. Since the United States under Trump doesn't even pretend to be an honest broker, the President's follow-up appeal to both sides -- to continue to focus on achieving peace -- doesn't pass the smell test.
Source : https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/14/opinions/embassy-jerusalem-move-end-peace-process-zogby/index.html
