President Trump’s decision this week to have the United States recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv is an affront to all peace-loving people.
It will only inflame tensions in the Middle East, leading to more violence. It will bring further oppression of the Palestinian people. It will bring neither peace nor security for the people of Israel.
We agree with Representative Barbara Lee of California that this decision “undermines decades of bipartisan work ... and unnecessarily escalates tensions in the Middle East. Make no mistake: this decision sabotages our diplomatic efforts and makes it even harder to achieve peace.”
Jerusalem is a city holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Its special status was recognized by the United Nations resolution which led to the creation of the modern state of Israel, which called for a special international status for Jerusalem, under the administrative authority of the United Nations. In supporting Israel’s claim to sole sovereignty over the city, Trump is endorsing the same kind of chauvinistic nationalism that he has encouraged domestically with his Muslim ban, his rants against immigrants, and his refusal to condemn organized and violent white supremacists.
Delegates to UE’s 75th Convention in August, in the resolution “Justice and Peace for the Peoples of Palestine and Israel,” called for our government to pressure Israel to end the occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the siege of Gaza, and negotiate a peace agreement on the basis of equality, democracy, and human rights, including Palestinian self determination and the right of return for refugees. We reiterate our union’s support for a negotiated peace agreement on those terms, and condemn in the strongest possible language Trump’s reckless, racist and reprehensible decision.
Peter Knowlton
General President
Andrew Dinkelaker
Secretary-Treasurer
Gene Elk
Director of Organization
See also:
UE Policy: Justice and Peace for the Peoples of Palestine and Israel