Amen to moving US embassy to Jerusalem – but at what price?
Amen to moving US embassy to Jerusalem – but at what price?

If the art of the deal means I give you this, you give me that, well, now’s a good time to reflect on what it could mean if President Trump agrees to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem. It’s what everybody wants - everyone, that is, whose heart is in the right place for the Jewish State. 

We don’t want the US Embassy next year in Jerusalem. We want it this year in Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says so, and so do a wide majority of Israelis who expect Trump to deliver. As a candidate, he promised.

As President, nobody is quite sure. There’ve been conflicting messages. We’ll know more when the President arrives in Israel in a few days.

But has he already thought this through? Have we – those of us clamoring for him to do the right thing, finally?

Simple enough. All he has to do is give a nod to the US Embassy Act of 1995, passed by the United States Congress, Oct. 23 of that year, which names Jerusalem as the proper place for the US Embassy. In a word, it’s the LAW. Successive Presidents, however, failed the law and failed Jerusalem.

Clinton, Bush and certainly Obama had second thoughts…or rather their first thought was the Arab world. They forgot Jerusalem.

We expect it to be different with Trump. We know that he is a friend of the Jewish State, a champion for America’s most valued ally in the region, so of course he means her no harm – intentionally. So he could say yes to the transfer – but at what price?

I can’t imagine such a transaction in Israel’s favor coming without a bill. 

Like what?

Could be anything. Could be, 1. Permanent building freeze in Judea and Samaria – the “West Bank.” 2. Population transfer of the 400,000 Israelis for whom the “West Bank” is home – shades of the eviction of Israelis from Gaza under Sharon: 3. Installment and recognition of a Palestinian state.

Could be all of that, some of that or none of that – or some other surprise.

Anything of that type presented as demands or proposals would be distressful to Israelis and discouraging to Americans who consider themselves patriots but also lovers of Zion…and big fans of President Trump, like this writer. So we’re hoping that the Embassy transfer does happen, as long as it’s not part of We already hear that Trump is asking for “concessions” from “both sides.” ...Israel has already made miles of concessions – from heartbreaking land swaps to lopsided prisoner exchanges – to no avail.
some big deal.

The Big Deal is what worries us, Trump’s inclination to solve problems through grand gestures and the big fix.

Plus, as Arutz Sheva’s Dr. Mordechai Kedar points out, Trump is still green on matters concerning the Middle East.

We already hear that Trump is asking for “concessions” from “both sides.” We take it that Jared Kushner has informed his father-in-law that over the decades Israel has already made miles of concessions – from heartbreaking land swaps to lopsided prisoner exchanges – to no avail. Nothing has stopped the terrorism and the incitement from the Arab side. 

Nor have steps been taken to remove the PLO “embassy” from Washington, D.C.  This terrorist eyesore disgraces our own capital.

We also draw no comfort from Trump’s cozy meeting with Mahmoud Abbas at the White House – and is it true that, while in Israel, he’ll be meeting that terrorist warlord again? Apparently so – and if Abbas comes out smiling the second time, as he did the first time, it can never be good for the Jews.

Through all this conjecture, entirely too pessimistic, I admit, I’m simply posing worst-case scenario to keep us from planning the wedding before the engagement. 

Too many are already congratulating the event…and doing so without being prepared for what could be the consequences.

On the bright side, Donald Trump is not Barack Obama. We’ve waited eight years for someone like Trump and this time, I am confident we got lucky.

New York-based bestselling American novelist Jack Engelhard writes regularly for Arutz Sheva. His books, including “The Bathsheba Deadline,” are available from Amazon and other retailers. Engelhard wrote the international bestseller “Indecent Proposal” and the award-winning Montreal memoir “Escape from Mount Moriah.” His latest is “News Anchor Sweetheart.” He is the recipient of the Ben Hecht Award for Literary Excellence. Website: www.jackengelhard.com