"Damned straight I wanna bring some terrorism back into the world! So I'm movin' the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem".
For Middle East history buffs, the Balfour Declaration was issued in 1917 and was a formal statement of policy by the British government stating that:
"His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country”
Thirty years later, in November 1947, the United Nations voted in favor of the partitioning of Palestine, proposing the creation of a Jewish state, an Arab state, and a UN-administered Jerusalem. Partition was accepted by Jewish leaders but rejected by Arab leaders, leading to civil war. The strife and agonizing battles and terror strikes - many involving Jerusalem - were brilliantly covered in the book, O, Jerusalem by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre. The story recounts virtually moment by moment the founding of the modern Jewish state and also the intense acrimony it aroused in the Palestinians - who believed they were deprived (by the UN) of an ancestral home.
Through seven decades, the U.S. has tried to steer a policy to mitigate that simmering acrimony - with varying degrees of success. At other times the rage has erupted with numerous altercations, such as between the Palestinians and Israelis, as well as Hezbollah and the Israelis. To say the whole region remains a tinderbox is an understatement.
Heightening the stakes, evangelical Christians since the year dot have claimed special significance for Jerusalem and Israel in their Armageddon scenarios. They base these on "prophecies" made in Ezekiel 37, Matthew 24 and John's Book of Revelation, among others. The essence is that the restored national identity of the Jews (by 1948) reinforced the fulfillment of Bible prophecies. Nowhere was this elucidated more forcefully than by Hal Lindsey in his book. 'The Late, Great Planet Earth'.
Thus, for Lindsey, the fig tree parable in the Olivet Discourse of Matt. 24 was prophetic of a restored Israel . Since that "birth" occurred in 1948, and Lindsey designated one generation = 40 years (biblically) - he reckoned that the Antichrist would make his first public appearance in 1988, and the Tribulation (the horrific 7-year period for his reign) would commence then. Earthly events would finally terminate with the battle of Megiddo (Armageddon) and the Antichrist's defeat. Several markers had to transpire before this, including the Jewish Temple rebuilt on the site of the Dome of Rock, and the total takeover of Jerusalem by the Jews.
Against this background of high-powered religious ideation and apocalyptic fantasies we now have Donnie Dotard tossing a kerosene -soaked rag which he's just lit. That "rag" harkens back to an ill-advised congressional fiasco called the Jerusalem Embassy Act in 1995, which included a line recognizing the city as Israel’s capital. Despite that fitful act, no U.S. President - not Clinton, George Bush Jr. or Barack Obama, felt reckless enough to actually implement it - by decree or otherwise. Not until the arrival of Dotard that is.
Dotard campaigned on a promise to implement the act, and his campaign advisors had to know this would be a huge bone tossed to the Xtian evangelicals to gain their votes. They (Trump advisors) knew the significance of Jerusalem to the evangelicals in looking to having the Jews fulfill their Armageddon and "Second Coming" prophecies. Hell, who knows? The evangelicals who backed Dotard may even be waiting breathlessly for him to punch in the nuclear codes to trigger Armageddon himself - like the "Greg Stillson" character in 'The Dead Zone'. See e.g.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj9M34DzAKo&t=21s
But in any case the eruptions to be set off today will likely result in terror attacks across the globe, especially in the Middle East. This is because yesterday we learned Trump will declare formal recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at 1 p.m. today EST. This fell and reckless move breaks with years of precedent, potentially leading to unpredictable consequences for the Middle East.. To say this act is maniacal and tempting fate, by which I mean thousands of future acts of terror - would be to put it mildly.
One member of the Israeli parliament, on learning of Trump's plan said: "Trump is a pyromaniac who could set the region on fire with his madness. It proves that the US can't be the sponsor in negotiations.." True, and even days before this Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman highlighted the problems of world leaders in dealing with an erratic U.S. president with the temperament of a dyspeptic toddler. A "Greg Stillson" 2.0.
Let us note that modern Jerusalem (which my father-in -law visited in 1980) has twice been enlarged in the 50 years since its annexation, a decision taken each time through acts of parliament. Let us also emphasize that Israel’s "mutant" version of Jerusalem is far larger than any historical iteration of the city. It contains Palestinian towns, villages and refugee camps, as well as Israeli settlements. The Geneva Conventions exist in parallel with human rights legislation, making Israel responsible for the welfare of many hundreds of thousands of people. Within these city limits, Israel presides over deeply deprived and lawless communities, where substance abuse is endemic and health services are poor or non-existent. These zones have no proper sewage provisions, and neither do the adjoining Jewish zones. The effluent has turned the Kidron stream into an open sewer, polluting the desert and the Dead Sea.
To put things bluntly, Jerusalem was a veritable tinderbox just waiting to explode even before Donnie Dotard now prepares to light the match and hurl the kerosene -soaked rag into it Never mind, this is what you get when a madman leads a nation, and the one bulwark against mischief of faction - the Electoral College- failed in its prime directive. As a result the U.S. since Jan. 20th has lost all respect and credibility. Especially after Dotard retweeted fictitious anti-Muslim videos last week - confected by a British nationalist group. The act set off such an eruption that members of the House of Commons have declared Dotard persona non grata and don't want any invitation extended for a formal visit next year.
The word regarding this imminent announcement is that Dotard will base his decision "on ancient history and current political realities", i.e. that the Israeli legislature and many government offices are already in Jerusalem. In fact, this move is pure political opportunism, to try to make sure Dotard has his evangelical puppets as part of his base for a possible re-election campaign aiming at 2020. Let us hope that doesn't materialize!
To add fuel to the fire, Dotard also plans to order the State Department to start the process of planning and building a new US embassy in Jerusalem, but White House officials said that process would take at least three years. One hopes we can rid ourselves of Dotard and his pathological administration by then.
More ominous, Dotard's declaration will mark the latest unilateral break from U.S. allies on a major issue, after decisions to walk out of the Paris Climate accord, to abandon multilateral trade negotiations with partners in Europe and Asia, and to threaten to abrogate an international nuclear deal with Iran. Any one of these portends higher threat levels to our civilization, but again we must recognize Dotard is likely trying to distract from his Mueller investigation worries - and also stir up a shit storm for his pathetic base.
In the meantime, agencies and nations far and wide are readying plans to ramp up security - from the capitals of Europe to the back alleys of the Middle East and virtually anyplace else on the planet. The other ironic aspect: Dotard has succeeded in uniting both Sunni and Shia Muslims with this brainiac move - with the Saudis coming out against it as aggressively as Iraqi Shias.
Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas' spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, said the Palestinian leader had warned Trump of the dangers of such a decision to Middle East peace efforts as well as security and stability in the region and the world. Jordan's King Abdullah issued a statement telling Trump that such a decision would have “dangerous repercussions on the stability and security of the region” and would obstruct US efforts to resume Arab-Israeli peace talks.
And Saudi Arabia's King Salman was reported by the Saudi Press Agency to have told Trump: “Such a dangerous step is likely to inflame the passions of Muslims around the world due to the great status of Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Does Donnie the Dotard care? Of course not! Because he has no more comprehension of Middle East history and tensions than he does of the U.S. He's a degenerate, toddler imbecile and madman trapped in the body of a 71-year old.
Best advice to U.S. citizens for now? Stay away from any European capitals, say visits to London or Paris, as well as visiting Middle East sites - especially in Israel, Egypt, or anywhere else. These are now officially potential terror site locations thanks to the mental age two- year old in the White House.
See also:
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/p-m-carpenter/76602/trump-and-his-love-of-watching-the-world-burn
And:
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/phyllis-bennis/76607/no-peace-process-exists-to-destroy-but-trumps-jerusalem-decision-dangerous-as-hell
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