It’s the 70th anniversary of the United Nations’ vote to create the state of Israel. What better time for Vice President Pence to go forward and repeat a campaign promise that President Trump has already broken once.
I’m talking about Trump’s campaign trail promise to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This is a move that would signal to the world that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel.
It was a bold promise for Trump, and it holds a lot of significance for Christians and Jews, alike.
Jerusalem is the center of so much conflict in the Middle East, as Israel believes it to be their capital (it is), and the Palestinians claim it to be their capital (it is not).
Speaking at an event honoring the day, VP Pence said:
“President Trump is actively considering when and how to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” Pence said during a speech in New York.
He was actively considering it on the campaign trail, but in June, he signed a waiver to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv.
Pence vowed that “the days of Israel-bashing at the United Nations are over,” stressing the U.S. will stand up for the Jewish state “because her cause is our cause, her values are our values and her fight is our fight.”
That part seems to be true. Where the Obama administration was decidedly anti-Israel, the introduction of Nikki Haley as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has been the most positive outcome from a Trump presidency. She has been fierce in standing up for Israel on the floor of the United Nations.
The 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act calls for the U.S. embassy to move to Jerusalem, but every president since that time, every six months, has signed the waiver that would stop the move from happening.
The policy seems to be, and has been openly proclaimed by Trump, that there is to be a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians before it happens.
If that’s what they’re waiting on, then it will never happen, so it’s disingenuous for Pence to keep going out there and promising something he knows they have no intention of carrying through with.
Next month, Trump has to make the decision whether to actually back up his promise, or sign the waiver again.
Who wants to bet he signs the waiver?
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