President Donald Trump seemingly possesses an amazing power. He can make such a diplomatic move that turns friends into enemies, instead of turning foes into friends. Soon after the US president officially recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced that the American embassy in Israel would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Britain and France (popularly known as good friends of the US, in Europe) hinted that they were not with Him.
As Jerusalem is a highly sensitive issue for the adherence of Islam, Judaism and even Christianity worldwide, the international community has always remained cautious about its role as far as the Palestine-Israel crisis is concerned. Israel has many friends and amongst them, the US is major one. Even, those friendly nations have never exhibited the courage to publicly denounce the claims of Palestine. At least, all of them have admitted (theoretically) that the Palestine-Israel issue is a complex one. Keeping in mind the sensitivity of the issue, the global community decided to discuss the issue at different levels, involving the two parties in due course.
No one could possibly imagine that President Trump would try to resolve the issue by declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel! His announcement ‘shocked’ even Saudi Arabia – the best ally of the US in West Asia. The Saudi royal court has issued a statement, saying: “The kingdom expresses great regret over the US president’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. It’s an unjustified and irresponsible move.”
Perhaps, President Trump was not fully prepared, while declaring this. The media have often touted Him as the one lacking diplomatic skills. As far as West Asia is concerned, he has taken many steps in recent times. But, this announcement regarding the status of Jerusalem is ‘extra ordinary’. It does not even match with other decisions made by Him.

In that case, it may be assumed that it’s really an ‘unexpected’ and ‘sudden’ decision. But, can such a great historical change (in foreign policy) be so sudden? President Trump has made clear that it’s possible….very much possible. In fact, he is in love with such daring moves. It may be conjectured that he is not much bothered about the long-term consequences of this move. He had his reasons to please Israel and he did so.
It may be a ‘wrong’ diplomatic move, but not a ‘wrong’ political move. President Trump is a completely different politician who would make ‘big’ decisions to serve ‘narrow’ interests – it is said. Earlier, he had pulled the US out of Paris climate deal. And now, he announced Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. These decisions tend to give people an idea about his mentality.
The president faced criticism for introducing a new law on national security. He is reportedly on the back foot over Russia’s connection to the last US Presidential Election. Apart from oppositions, some members of his own party are against him. In such a situation, he tried to regain his ground in domestic politics by appeasing one particular nation. The president, it is said, has failed to realise that recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital will be a set back not only for the peace process, but also for the American diplomacy. By overturning decades of prudent American policy, he threatens to plunge West Asia into fresh uncertainty. His decision throws into doubt the future of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Can it be said that the announcement of the US president is the final nail in the coffin for a peaceful settlement of the issue, especially at the time when the whole world is trying to resolve the crisis through the two-state solution that envisages independent states of Israelites and Palestinians living in peace side by side?

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das