Trump Faces Global Condemnation For Jerusalem Embassy Move

FEATURING HUWAIDA ARRAF – In a speech at the White House on Wednesday Donald Trump declared that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel and set into motion the process of moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move was unexpected and provoked global condemnation including from traditional US allies such as France, Britain, and Germany.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received the news warmly saying, “We are profoundly grateful for the president, for his courageous and just decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” and called on other nations to follow the US’s lead.

But the anger felt by Palestinians was all too real. The question of Jerusalem has been a critical one in Israel-Palestinian clashes for decades. Will Trump’s move further jeopardize prospects for peace and justice?

Huwaida Arraf, Palestinian American human rights activist, lawyer and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement. She is also the former Chair of the Free Gaza Movement and currently the Palestine and Refugees correspondent for Rising Up With Sonali.