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Tillerson: US Believes Mideast Peace Still Possible

by Peter Heinlein

   WHITE HOUSE --

   President Donald Trump is set to announce the [1]U.S. is recognizing
   Jerusalem as Israel's capital and beginning the process of moving the
   embassy from Tel Aviv, a development that is drawing a negative
   reaction from much of the world.

   Ahead of a speech on the issue, Trump said the move is "long overdue."

   Arab and Muslim states are warning that the controversial decision
   could enflame tensions in the region and destroy U.S. efforts to reach
   an Arab-Israeli peace agreement.

   Palestinians are calling for three "Days of Rage" to protest President
   Trump's plan.
   Pope Francis expressed "profound concern" about the move, while Turkey
   called for a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to
   coordinate a response. Iran called the move "wrong, illegitimate,
   provocative and very dangerous."

   Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not mention the issue in
   his own public appearance Wednesday.

   The Trump administration has staunchly defended the move, saying the
   president is merely recognizing what it calls a historic and modern
   reality. The move would also make good on a campaign promise which was
   backed by some of his evangelical Christian and Jewish supporters.

   Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday the U.S. still thinks
   there is "a very good opportunity for peace" between Israel and the
   Palestinians.
   Speaking in Brussels, Tillerson said Trump "is very committed to the
   Middle East peace process. He has a team he put into place. That team
   has been working very diligently." The top U.S. diplomat urged people
   to "listen carefully to the entirety" of Trump's speech.

   White House officials briefing reporters on the announcement said Trump
   will say that he recognizes Jerusalem is not only the historic capital
   of the Jewish people, it has been the seat of the Israeli government
   since the founding of modern Israel in 1948.

   The officials say the president will order the State Department to
   start making plans to move the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. They
   say the process will take years to find a site, secure funding, and
   construct a new building. Until then, Trump will sign the usual waiver
   postponing the relocation.

   Transfer plans
   Under a law signed by President Bill Clinton in 1995, the embassy must
   be relocated to Jerusalem unless the president signs a waiver every six
   months stating that moving the embassy would threaten U.S. national
   security. Every president since Clinton has signed the waiver,
   including Trump.
   "The United States does lease an area of land in West Jerusalem for a
   dollar a year," Randolph-Macon College history professor Michael
   Fischbach told VOA. "One thing would be, there's a massive amount not
   only of construction that would have to occur, but then moving people
   and facilities from Tel Aviv."

   Dennis Ross was the U.S. point man on the Middle East peace process
   under three presidents and worked with Israelis and Palestinians to
   reach the 1995 Interim Agreement. He said Tuesday Trump appears to be
   leaving a lot of room for both Israelis and Arabs to maneuver in the
   newly changed environment.
   "It's very important for the president to create a lot of 'handles' or
   'hooks' for our friends to say, fundamentally, this does not change the
   ability of Palestinians, the Arabs who tend to see Jerusalem not just
   (as) a Palestinian issue but a regional issue, that their position,
   their concern, their claim still has to be part of the negotiation
   process and that hasn't been pre-empted," Ross said. "That seems to me
   to be the key to this."
   Some officials in Washington have expressed concern about the potential
   for a violent backlash against Israel and American interests in the
   region.

   The U.S. Consulate General is restricting American government workers
   and their families from personal travel Wednesday in Jerusalem's Old
   City and West Bank, including Bethlehem and Jericho, amid widespread
   calls for demonstrations.

   U.S. embassies worldwide also have been ordered to increase security.

   [State Department correspondent Cindy Saine and Victor Beattie in
   Washington contributed to this report.]

References

   1. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-set-announce-united-states-recognition-jerusalem-israeli-capital/4151178.html