Here’s the live feed for the President’s remarks on the status of Jerusalem. What you’re going to want to watch and listen for is how he frames the specific portions on the status of Jerusalem. Does he call it Israel’s undivided capital? Only the capital of Israel? Or just the capital of Israel? In other words is there some nuance in his statement that keeps the final status of Jerusalem viable diplomatically.
Updated at 1:25 PM EST
The President made two very clear statements about both freedom of religion and access to religious sites in Jerusalem. Even more specifically he stated that Muslims must have access to the al Aqsa Mosque and stating that access for Muslims to the Harem al Sharif must be preserved.
My take away from the speech is that he’s going to continue to sign the waivers to keep the US embassy to Israel in Tel Aviv until an embassy can be built in Jerusalem in accordance with the 1995 law that recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He made a very clear statement that beginning the planning for moving the embassy should not infringe on final status issues between the Israelis and Palestinians. This includes the final status of Jerusalem vis a vis the Israelis and Palestinians.
What needs to be understood is that no matter how nice the speech sounded, nor the nuance and clarity I highlighted above, is that the President’s statements and actions on the status of Jerusalem is completely disconnected from the reality on the ground. Despite seeming to reinforce the US policy preference for a two state solution, by changing US policy and embracing the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act he has undercut the US’s preference for a two state solution by preemptively dealing with the issue of Jerusalem.
This decision and the President’s remarks ignore just how fragile the status quo is in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. It also ignores the vast minutiae across dozens of categories and sub-categories that have to be negotiated and agreed to before the big ticket items like the final status of Jerusalem can even be considered. Today’s decision places the cart before dozens of horses.
Finally, forget about who started what when. Forget about who did what to whom in the 19th or early 20th Centuries. Right now, today, the Israelis hold all the leverage and power in the relationship with the Palestinians. The Palestinians have three options: 1) acquiesce and remain forever in socio-political and ethno-national limbo, 2) make a good faith effort via a peace negotiation to get the best deal they can get and then live with it as the best that could be gotten, or 3) revolt. The first option is not viable or acceptable. The second only works if the Israeli leadership is willing to make a good faith effort to negotiate a settlement, which the current leadership isn’t. The third is violent self help.
The only things the Palestinians have to trade for a negotiated peace agreement and their own state is an intangible: peace. This isn’t trading land for land or resources for land or even money for land. It is about the Israelis who control the land being willing to give some of it up, as well as the administrative control over it, to the Palestinians in exchange for an intangible concept.
We’re once again back to something akin to Bernard Fall’s remarks about civic action:
Civic action is not the construction of privies or the distribution of anti-malaria sprays. One can’t fight an ideology; one can’t fight a militant doctrine with better privies. Yet this is done constantly. One side says, “land reform,” and the other side says, “better culverts.” One side says, “We are going to kill all those nasty village chiefs and landlords.” The other side says, “Yes, but look, we want to give you prize pigs to improve your strain.” These arguments just do not match. Simple but adequate appeals will have to be found sooner or later.
Simple but adequate appeals indeed…
Jerzy Russian
Can’t I just dig out my eyeballs with a fork? Much less painful that way.
Doug R
Ugh. Can’t watch. I’m sure it’ll be terrible pandering racist crap tailored for the godbotherers in Alabama who love someone who bears false witness, worships graven images and covets his neighbor and her womb.
schrodingers_cat
Trigger warning needed.
это курам на смех
It pains me that a painting of this clown will forever adorn a wall in the White House.
Adam L Silverman
A whole lot of throat clearing to this announcement.
Adam L Silverman
So the remark about freedom of worship and actually name checking both Muslims and the al Aqsa Mosque as part of the need to guarantee freedom of access for worship was unexpected.
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
@это курам на смех:
I’m actually OK with that, as long as it’s this one.
Redshift
And will anyone believe it is actual nuance either way, or just Trump saying words with no understanding that small differences matter?
Chances of multiple “what he really meant” statements from staffers, possibly contradictinh each other, is near 100%.
Ohio Mom
Too long, won’t listen. Eagerly await Adam’s summary later.
Adam L Silverman
Clear statement of beginning planning for moving the embassy not infringing on final status issues between the Israelis and Palestinians. Including the final status of Jerusalem vis a vis the Israelis and Palestinians. Reinforced US preference for a comprehensive two state solution and freedom of access for different religious groups to worship freely. He also by name mentioned the Harem al Sharif, which is how Muslims and Arabs refer to the Temple Mount.
Brachiator
This moron just loves to sign shit.
Cheryl Rofer
@Adam L Silverman: All very nice, but all I can think is “Here we go.”
Timurid
@Adam L Silverman:
Shit, I hear barking in the distance… have they released the pivot hounds again?
WaterGirl
@Adam L Silverman: I’m very confused by what you wrote. Not sure if that’s because Trump made no sense and contradicted himself at every turn or if it’s just quick writing that can be explained.
ruemara
I really can’t believe this guy is president. I just can’t.
d58826
Very nice speech that would not have been needed if he had left well enough alone. Of course at the end of the day Israel is going to have it’s capital in Jerusalem. But that is part of the end state solution. This puts a very big thumb on the scales in Israel’s favor. IIRC the original UN partition resolution called for Jerusalem to be an open city. As far as Palestinians enjoying freedom of religion in Israel, that would be news to the Palestinians. Now they may enjoy more freedom that Jews in Iran but they are still second class citizens. He called God’s blessing to Christians, Jews and Muslims. I realize it may be a picky point but to Muslims the word is ALLAH. Show a bit of respect.
artem1s
jeebus, I feel sorry for everyone who has to live there and that their lives are going to be impacted by this idiots lack of understanding of how words work. /FFS
Betty Cracker
@это курам на смех: Yeah, little things like that get me too. That preposterous buffoon will be in my future grandchildren’s history books. Ugh.
@ruemara: It’s a daily insult.
Cheryl Rofer
Calouste
I don’t care what the shitgibbon is saying. I’ll pay attention to the actions of the major Muslim states though.
MisterForkbeard
@Adam L Silverman: So basically, a really awful policy pronouncement that was couched about as nicely as it could have, considering the contents?
schrodingers_cat
@Cheryl Rofer: But Al Franken needs to resign, like yesterday. Strategery FTW.
Next up on the foreign policy agenda, a statement about Kashmir. Because that’s one more fire the Rs haven’t yet added fuel to, yet.
The Dangerman
He’s been watching his poll numbers and decided to stir shit up. Asshole.
TenguPhule
@MisterForkbeard: A shit sandwich made of good french bread is in the end still a shit sandwich.
d58826
This has to be a big Ramandan present (if such a thing exists) for ISIS, AQ and the rest of the jihadists
TenguPhule
Today is a really shitty day.
Amir Khalid
@schrodingers_cat:
And I reiterate here my response: Trump will never say anything about Kashmir. For one thing, he has never heard of Led Zeppelin. For another he’s not trying to build a golf resort there.
MisterForkbeard
@TenguPhule: It’s like being polite while robbing someone – it doesn’t change the action taking place and in almost makes the action itself even more insulting.
Amir Khalid
@d58826: Ramadhan is still half a year away. But yes, I do agree with your assessment.
Adam L Silverman
I’ve just updated up top with my take aways from the speech.
rikyrah
This is a bad idea. No, horrific one, to payoff a bunch of evil azz muthaphuckas to need to go to Hell, since they believe in it.
Adam L Silverman
And before anyone asks: there will be violence.
The Moar You Know
Well, at least that fucker Salman now knows what happens when you give Trump the gold carpet treatment: he shits on it like a poorly trained dog.
General Secretary Xi is up for some carpet-shitting next.
Maybe these folks should have paid more attention. Do Trump a favor, he shits on your carpet.
@Adam L Silverman: I’m expecting that before the sun sets here in CA. Probably in the next hour, if we’re being realistic. This was a “bright red line” for the Arab world and Trump has just shit all over that as well.
d58826
very bad day
Adam L Silverman
@MisterForkbeard: Pretty much.
dr. bloor
@это курам на смех: If I’m the next POTUS, his likeness is going to be on every urinal cake in the White House.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I can’t watch that man speak, especially on such a sensitive topic, but I’m gathering from the snippets I’m seeing around twitter is that the Ape tossed a torch into a pool of gasoline and then stood back and said “this is a pool of gasoline that should be treated with great care, great care….”
dr. bloor
@Adam L Silverman: Trump’s delicate framing will no doubt reassure the militants gearing up ops on our embassies and diplomats, and convince them all to stand down.
? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?
@The Moar You Know:
Hope Trump fucks over Putin next.
Adam L Silverman
Also, the President’s dentures/partial where not in properly hence the slurring of words and clicking sounds as he tried to keep his teeth in his mouth. And he really needs to get his deviated septum fixed too. That would resolve some of the snuffling.
Elie
This ruthless, destructive, evil beast must be removed. It MUST happen. There will be no choice as he truly will stop at nothing and will burn us to the ground. We can sit around and watch but the day is coming that action will be unavoidable despite the damage we will experience from the process. It MUST happen and it is now just a matter of time.
Adam L Silverman
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Pretty much. Also, too.
Adam L Silverman
@dr. bloor: No doubt. I know I feel reassured.
Mike in NC
Disconnected from reality? Knock us all over with a feather.
d58826
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: and it is the most beautiful pool of gasoline. the greatest pool of gasoline
TenguPhule
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
A pool of gas in a fireworks factory over an Indian graveyard.
Elie
@? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:
HE wont fuck Putin, but sooner of later Putin is gonna get what he richly deserves. I wish I could be there to see it. I could seriously wash my hands in Putin’s blood.
Yutsano
@dr. bloor: I’m just curious: did that hurt to type?
TenguPhule
@Elie:
And when that day comes, the Republicans will accuse half the Democrats of sexual harrassment and the other half will cheerfully shoot them in the back.
Adam L Silverman
And we have breaking Flynn news. NBC’s/MSNBC’s Ken Dilanian has just reported this:
d58826
@Adam L Silverman: well it has been an hour and none of our diplo. facilities have been sacked so I guess it’s a success.
Miss Bianca
@Elie: Yeah, but we have toss more Democrats out of office first, because that’s going to help so much!
Adam L Silverman
@d58826: Winning!
dr. bloor
@d58826: Ergo, anything that happens after this is Hillary’s fault.
Mnemosyne
@Miss Bianca:
I’m with you, sister. Very pissed at my senator right now for giving in to the witch hunt.
Elie
@TenguPhule:
Man, you never stop do you? What a sicko. You love celebrating the defeat of what those of us who care are working for. Fuck you. You are as evil — maybe more so because you undermine us. Go away
Noncarborundum
@это курам на смех:
Elementary school classrooms. That’s what gets me.
d58826
@dr. bloor: Well that goes without needing to be said. Heck Hillary is responsible for the Pharaoh forcing the Hebrews to make bricks w/o straw.
Sab
OT but I am posting this on every thread I wander across this week.
The FCC net neutrality vote is next week. It’s biguest opponent is Al Franken. The charges against him are so far pretty weak. Do you you think weak sexism charges against the biggest defender of net neutrality the week before the vote is a coincidence? I don’t, but I am in my sixties, so I wasn’t born yesterday.
LanceThruster
When you’ve fucked up things as badly as Trump has, having the Lobby on your side is probably not a bad idea. Expect some glowing admiration from the fake news. It might be tentative at first, but will at some point characterize it as bold and presidential.
Elie
@Miss Bianca:
It IS misguided in so many ways!!!! I think these folks mean well but its gonna blow up in our faces because the other side is not going to unitlaterally disarm themselves. If we think being pure about this is gonna help us, we are going to find out differently. Worse yet, it is going to cause problems all the way down the chain because of the widespread nature of these issues. I can tell you it is already roiling us down in the hinterlands so we will be fighting this thing — a perfect misdirection, instead of the beast in the White House and the orks in Congress. This was a good idea that is blowing up in our faces.
El Caganer
@Adam L Silverman: It takes the best deal-maker to create a lose-lose situation: the Palestinians get doodly-squat, the Israelis get a major security problem they don’t need. Bigly; very classy; only the best….oh, fuck it, I can’t even make fun of this shit.
LanceThruster
“What’s good for Zionism is good for America!”
rp
Intifada IV, The Trumpening
IntifadaXtra, Now with 400% more Trump!
d58826
well there is some ‘good’ news. The wildfires in CA have burned down Rupert Murdoch’s house. snarky
Miss Bianca
@Elie: What you said, far more eloquently than I. I’m at the point where all I feel like doing is swearing and breaking things, and saying “a plague on both your houses!” and withdrawing in high dudgeon. Which, of course, won’t help a damn thing, so I won’t really..
But Jesus Chicken-Fried Christ…the Democratic Party really IS Charlie Brown with the football right now. I keep trying to tell myself we’ll change, and learn to keep a laser-like focus on TWO facts simultaneously: that the GOP is a party of traitors, and we need all hands on deck to fight them, AND that they are merciless rat-fuckers who will always, and gleefully, weaponize our own virtue-signalling against us. Apparently, we can’t be bothered.
TenguPhule
@Elie: Fuck off. I’m watching our side turn on one of our best and brightest because they’ve learned NOTHING from the 2016 ratfucks.
d58826
so much winning. According to Amb. Ryan Crocker Der Fuhrer has achieved a huge ‘success’ in uniting Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Jordon to oppose this policy.
TenguPhule
@Sab:
I believe the third time indicates enemy action.
Adam L Silverman
@d58826: I said that in my post last night.
Elie
@TenguPhule:
Oh stop it. YOU LOVE IT!! Makes you happy as can be. You wished failure on us and celebrate it endlessly… Stop the lying. This shit is right up your alley
d58826
@Adam L Silverman: hmmm. I guess Crocker owes you a shout out:-)
Elie
@TenguPhule:
I am beginning to have to agree with you there…. “enemy action”.
I want to DO something though — not just whine and point like you do.
TenguPhule
@Elie:
You don’t know me at all.
Adam L Silverman
@d58826: He’s familiar with my work.
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ
IMHO I’m not sure the Palestinians can deliver peace because there are internal and external extreme factions that would stir up trouble. Sounds like they don’t have any options….which is incredibly sad and horrible.
TenguPhule
@Elie:
There isn’t anything you can do at this point. We all get to find out tomorrow.
All we had to do was stick together. And 6 braying morons in the Senate couldn’t even do that. And there are going to be consequences for that.
Wanting and being able to are two very different things.
Elie
@TenguPhule:
“By their deeds thou shall know them.”
d58826
@Ms. D. Ranged in AZ: Always seemed like an open question as to which gap was greater – Palestinians vs Israel or the PA on the west bank vs Hamas in Gaza
Mnemosyne
@Sab:
Nope, but sadly we seem to be in the minority on that.
MomSense
I only caught the end but it sounded like he slurred “United States of America”. Did he slur other words in the speech?
Adam L Silverman
@MomSense: A lot. His partial/dentures weren’t in properly. You could see it when he talked. Also, he snuffled a lot.
Adam L Silverman
The DOJ office holiday party is going to be awkward!
rikyrah
@Adam L Silverman:
is that not QUID PRO QUO?
eemom
@Adam L Silverman:
He snuffled nonstop in the debates with Hillz. The consensus among former coke addicts was that he’s a coke addict, which seemed sort of shocking at the time. At this point though, what difference does it make?
Adam L Silverman
@rikyrah: I don’t know. I do know it was stupid.
Adam L Silverman
@eemom: I have no idea about that.
The Moar You Know
@eemom: First: I am not a former coke addict. I did work with a lot of them, was a working musician in the eighties. Trump, as much as I would like to smear him with this, I’m pretty sure is not a former cokehead. And definitely not a current one. There’s just something the cokeheads have that he doesn’t. Really can’t define it, I’ll work on that.
Stan
@это курам на смех:
yeah but surely President Kamela Harris can order it hung in the basement next to the sewer line?
MomSense
@Adam L Silverman:
Oh god. I assumed he had the fancy implants.
@eemom:
I think he used to do coke but if I were a betting woman I would go with amphetamines.
Immanentize
@d58826: So Erdogan said that “if ____ happened, Turkey would end diplomatic relations with Israel.” Was that ____?: “US declares Jerusalem the capital of Israel?” (just happened) or “US moves its embassy to Jerusalem?” (hasn’t happened yet). I think it was the former?
ETA This was also for Adam…. @Adam L Silverman:
Adam L Silverman
@Immanentize: I’m not sure. I also don’t speak Turkish, so I have no way of knowing what he said without translation.
Adam L Silverman
@MomSense: @eemom:
And
Adam L Silverman
Ooopsie!
Immanentize
@Adam L Silverman: Adam, I am upset to learn that you are NOT all knowing. Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me there is no Santa!
Immanentize
Hell, Adam, someone diaried your post at The Great Orange Satan.
Adam L Silverman
More Oopsie!
TenguPhule
@Adam L Silverman: Well that didn’t take long.
Adam L Silverman
@Immanentize: Thanks for letting me know. Is this good, bad, or otherwise?
MomSense
@Adam L Silverman:
Damn, I have two friends (four if you count spouses) who are going to be caught up in this. I don’t think they wanted to leave as their kids are here in university. This is going to get so ugly.
Adam L Silverman
@TenguPhule: Just in time delivery. Very important to have your supply chain sorted out before the rollout.
TenguPhule
@Adam L Silverman: I don’t like the refund policy though.
Adam L Silverman
@MomSense: Abbas doesn’t have a lot of options.
Adam L Silverman
@TenguPhule: It’s the restocking fees that get you.
MomSense
@Adam L Silverman:
No, he doesn’t which is part of why this is such a stupid move.
Reminds me of the rushed vote Bush/Condi insisted upon.
Immanentize
@Adam L Silverman: It’s cool. The person was very complimentary. Probably wont get much play, though.
Adam L Silverman
@Immanentize: No worries. I don’t read anything over there. Never have. So I have no idea what getting cited there means.
les
Sometimes Larison is enjoyable, when he’s not talking about how the last good society was 19th century Russia.
WaterGirl
@Adam L Silverman: Good for him. Sadly, we lost all credibility with this utterly insane move by Trump. We really should have no role in the peace process at this point.
I should add, what peace process? (after this move)
d58826
Listening to the various Israeli spokespersons on the move of the embassy. Poor Poor Israel. No one understands them. No one realizes how much they are willing to sacrifice for the Palestinians. And the Palestinians are just so ungrateful and, with great sadness evil.
debbie
Asked and answered.
OGLiberal
And none of this had anything to do with Jews or even Israel. It’s about keeping the un-Christian fundies in the US lapping up his bullshit. You know, the folks who need an official Jewish state so JC can come back, after which the Jews will have to accept him as lord and savior or burn in eternal hell.
Dmbeaster
@d58826: I am so sick of Israel’s bs. They are not our friends, and have no interest in peace in the Middle East.
CDWard
Israel:
– is an oppressive, colonialist, expansionist and supremacist Jewish State;
– has been stealing, occupying and colonizing Palestinian land and
oppressing, torturing and killing Palestinians for over 60 years;
– refuses to honor its obligations under international law;
– refuses to accept responsibility and accountability for its past and on-going war crimes; and
– refuses to enter into sincere negotiations for a just and mutually-beneficial peace.
See http://www.ifamericansknew.org and http://lawrenceofcyberia.blogs.com/photos/maps/landloss.html for more information.
LanceThruster
@CDWard:
R’amen.
LanceThruster
@OGLiberal:
Ain’t it the truth?
TenguPhule
@CDWard: And yet are still not as bad as the palestinians.