McCain: I'd move embassy to J'lem

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"John McCain would move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem if he were elected president, the presumptive Republican nominee for president told CNN Friday."

<snip>

"Nevertheless, McCain has emphasized that the city's final status is subject to negotiation despite his own position on the matter. It remains to be determined whether his promise to act in accordance with the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital would come to fruition were he elected.

Obama has said that he would only consider moving the embassy once the Israelis and Palestinians come close to a final-status peace agreement.

President George W. Bush also committed to moving the embassy during his 2000 campaign, but failed to do so. Former president Bill Clinton repeatedly postponed the relocation during his time in office, as well. Both used the excuse that such a move would preempt Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and endanger US security interests in the Middle East.

The recurring reneging of US presidents on relocating the US embassy is a manifestation of an escape clause in the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. Adopted in October of that year by the Senate and the House of Representatives, the act states that the United States's official policy towards Jerusalem should recognize it as the capital of Israel. It also stipulates that 50 percent of funds allocated to acquiring and maintaining official US buildings abroad may not be spent if the embassy has not been reopened in Jerusalem by May 31, 1999.

However, the president reserves the right to waive the spending restriction for six months, should he or she determine that the relocation would pose a threat to national security. Consequently, the relocation of the embassy has been suspended by American presidents semi-annually since 1995."

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[BlooInBloo]

1. It's currently in Tel Aviv, right? I don't understand the significance of this suggestion.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Tel Aviv is Israel's capital. Jerusalem has had...

a special, if not entirely legal, status as an international city of great religious interest to Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Ever since Israel's creation, its governing of Jersualem has been understood to be custodial and in the interests of all three religions, with.

Israel's intention to move the capital to Jerusalem means it abrogates the understanding that Jerusalem is "above politics." For any nation to recognize this move causes all sorts of trouble.

I suspect that both Clinton and Bush made the promise to move the embassy as simple pandering and had no intention of moving it. I suspect McCain wouldn't move it either, but I wouldn't trust him not to-- he might forget.

[henank]

6. Wishing something so does not make it so

Tel Aviv is NOT Israel's capital. Jerusalem is Israel's capital, no matter how much people declare such a thing "illegal", "inappropriate", etc. The fact that other countries do not recognize this or refuse to move their embassies there does not negate the fact that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

You're probably right though that neither McCain nor Obama, just like Bush and his predecessors, have any intention of actually moving the US embassy to Jerusalem. It's all just words.

[LeftishBrit]

5. It would be emphasizing that 'Jerusalem must never be divided'...

and thus pre-judging the results of negotiations. More generally, given the religious significance of Jerusalem to three rival faiths, it would be putting diplomats in a somewhat difficult position at best; at risk of violence or terrorism at worst. For this reason, I doubt that it would happen.

[BlooInBloo]

7. Gotcha - thanks!

[mloutre]

3. WTF? I don't see any way that this suggestion doesn't just make the muddy waters even muddier there.

[azurnoir]

4. provacative political pandering period n/t