A Friday morning attempt by the Associated Press's Tia Goldenberg to "explain" the "US pivot on Jerusalem" failed to make three crucial points: First, that three ultimately victorious U.S. presidential candidates promised that they would formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and failed to deliver on those promises; second, that just six months ago, the United States Senate expressed unanimous support for the idea that "Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel"; and third, that previous presidents dodged the clear intent of a 1995 law mandating that the U.S. embassy be moved to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
Goldenberg promised readers "a look at why the U.S. recognition of the holy city as Israel's capital matters." She failed to deliver, and misled readers in the process:
AP Explains: The US pivot on Jerusalem
Breaking with decades of U.S. policy, President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital this week, a declaration that set off a wave of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces and drew sharp criticism from U.S. allies in the Middle East and beyond.
This paragraph could have and should have been more credibly written as follows: "Following through after decades of unkept promises, U.S.. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital this week, a declaration which was met by a wave of violence instigated by Palestinian who clashed with Israeli forces ..."
Continuing:
... Israel has considered Jerusalem its capital since the state's establishment in 1948 and sees the city as the ancient capital of the Jewish people.
In the 1967 Mideast war, Israel captured the city's eastern sector and later annexed it in a move that is not recognized internationally. Israel's government ministries and institutions are all located in Jerusalem and Israelis across the political spectrum see the city as their capital.
Israel is likely the only country in the world whose capital isn't recognized internationally.
The Palestinians equally lay claim to Jerusalem and want the eastern part of the city as capital of their future state. Some 200,000 Palestinians live in that part of the city and Palestinians claim a deep cultural, historical and religious connection to the city.
The Old City, located in east Jerusalem, is home to sites holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims. These include the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site.
The religion-based claims of Israelis and Palestinians cannot possibly be "equal" if the "Old City" has "the holiest site where Jews can pray" and only the "third holiest site" of Islam.
Here's more:
... Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been one of Trump's most vocal supporters globally and has been outspoken about his gratitude for Trump's declaration on Jerusalem. But the Palestinians, and much of the international community, view the declaration as a unilateral action that could dash hopes for a negotiated two-state solution.
There are no genuine "hopes for a negotiated two-state solution" as long as the Palestinians won't recognize Israel's right to exist. They never have — and based on history, unless and until they do, there's no reason to believe that they ever will.
The AP's Goldenberg failed to recognize the fact that three then-presidential candidates who won their respective elections — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama — all promised to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, as seen in the following video montage which also contains Trump's recognition announcement:
Goldenberg also failed to note that in June, the United States Senate unanimously supported a related resolution:
The resolution, which passed by a 90-0 vote, calls on President Donald Trump to "abide by" a 1995 law which stipulates that the U.S. Embassy in Israel would move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
It says that “Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected.”
The linked article notes that a "1995 law called for the President to move the embassy to Jerusalem by May 31, 1999, or else issue a waiver every six months delaying the move."
Over three dozen six-month waivers later, the U.S. is now following the clear intent of a law passed 22 years ago.
The AP's Goldenberg didn't "explain" that either.
There's no way, in this context, one can legitimately characterize Trump's move as a "pivot" — unless you're an AP reporter pretending to "explain" things while keeping important truths from readers.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
