Just Saying | Trump is king of Jerusalem with Palestinian blood on his hands
Yonden Lhatoo is appalled by the slaughter of Palestinians by Israeli forces this week, and blames Donald Trump for provoking and allowing the bloodshed
Donald Trump has to be the most popular US president in history. In Israel, that is.
They just adore him out there. They’re even minting coins bearing his image and naming Jerusalem’s top soccer team after him.
And why not? Trump is making every dream come true for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a grim reaping hardliner who heads the most right-wing and extreme Israeli government ever and has pretty much flushed the last, tattered vestiges of the Middle East peace process down the toilet.
In fact Trump seems to be systematically ticking off a ruthless bucket list for Netanyahu, from helping the Israelis vilify, isolate and confront arch-enemy Iran – going to insanely dangerous extremes such as bombing Syria and pulling out of the Iranian nuclear deal – to moving the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem this week.
Trump’s official recognition of Jerusalem as the “eternal” capital of Israel was bound to have tragic consequences for provoking the Palestinians, who dream of having their own country some day with occupied East Jerusalem as their capital.