March 14, 2018
Middle East Fellow Zaha Hassan wrote an article for LobeLog discussing the consequences of Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem:
During his meeting with the Israeli prime minister last week, President Trump told reporters that moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem will only cost US taxpayers $250,000 rather than the billion-dollar price tag he claims was originally proposed. This “bargain” likely refers to the costs of temporarily housing the embassy at the current site of the offices of the US consulate in Jerusalem. Unloading a moving truck and replacing some signage is no groundbreaking. For a man who likes to boast about his real-estate deals and construction projects, converting the consulate to an embassy appears anti-Trumpian.
But the issue is not the cost; it’s about location, location, location. And that location is occupied territory.
Where the US establishes its embassy in Israel is an important statement about where the US sees borders being drawn between Israelis and Palestinians. It also foreshadows the coming “ultimate deal” that the Trump administration will soon unveil.