Comment

Why didn't the US government move the American Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

8
sliv_the_eli7/16/2012 5:15:37 pm PDT

re: #2 freetoken

The title of this Page is phrased as a question (though without the punctuation), so I’ll give the answers:

1) Presidents don’t like Congress meddling in foreign affairs, as it’s considered a power grab;
2) It’s too difficult;
3) The US has attempted to portray itself as a neutral actor wrt Jerusalem.

And no, I don’t support the petition offered. And, those bills stuck in committees ought to sink in those committees.

I agree that the issue of presidents not wanting Congress meddling in foregin affairs is a legitimate issue. But it is not the reason that the embassy has not been placed in Jerusalem by any of the dozen occupants of the White House since Israel’s independence.

Your second reason is inaccurate. We expend billions of dollars the world over to build and even relocate embassies all the time.

Your third reason is at least arguably accurate as to the actual raeson. (Although, as suggested by my previous post, I believe it has more to do with not wanting to antagonize the Arab states than with wanting to actually be or appear to be impartial). The problem with that approach, however, is that sometime, in trying to appear impartial, one actually takes a position that undermines one side of the dispute. In this case, by refusing to recognize Israeli sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem, we are actually undermining an ally and encouraging its enemies to act as though there is still a legitimate dispute over the portions of Israel within the Green Line (or, as the media often incorrectly call it within Israel’s “1967 borders).