U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on May 23, 2017. In the final remarks that concluded his first visit to the region, U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that peace between Israel and the Palestinians is "possible". (Xinhua file photo/JINI)
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's upcoming decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the U.S. embassy to the city will undermine efforts to rekindle the Middle East peace process and complicate the situation in the region.
Trump will announce his intention on Wednesday. His administration has argued the decision is made to recognized a so-called "fact," not to change the status quo.
However, Trump's decision is more likely to boomerang, and end up creating irreparable chaos both at home and abroad.
The long-stalled peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians would be the first victim of this unilateral decision by Washington as it gives strong reasons to both sides to stay further away from the negotiating table instead of motives to come together and negotiate a long-lasting peace agreement.
Moreover, such a move would throw the conflict-torn Middle East deeper into an unpredictable chaotic situation. It will hand the extremists both in the region and beyond a publicity tool to find more recruits for their plots under the guise of retaliation. In that case, nations around the world are expected to face an even deadlier security situation.
It is not hard to tell that Trump's latest foreign policy stunt is actually focused on a domestic political constituency who wants the administration to turn as pro-Israel as possible. By doing so, Trump is trying to paint himself as a president who sticks to his promises.
"The U.S. has always been pro-Israel, but until now it has not necessarily been perceived as anti-Palestine. This will make it hard for many, including me, to believe that the administration supports a two-state solution, which many of us regard as the only outcome that will lead to stability," said Daniel Serwer, director of Conflict Management Program at the Johns Hopkins University School.
"It's not unexpected but it is unwise. It is just as much a mistake now as it was months ago," he added.
The international community, especially countries in the Middle East, have already come forward to question Trump's highly controversial move, and warned of its dire consequences.
For the past decade and more, the Middle East has been turned almost upside down largely because of Washington's self-serving policy towards this region.
The Trump administration needs to show its due sense of responsibility to right America's past wrongdoings and help restore peace in this part of the world. Or at least it should have the prudence not to make the situation in the area worse than it already is.
