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AMP Condemns US Embassy Move on Nakba Day Provocation

(WASHINGTON, D.C. 2/26/18)—In yet another act of provocation, The Trump administration announced on Friday its plan to officially move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem on May 14, which is recognized as the Nakba, or the day of catastrophe, by millions of Palestinians around the world. AMP strongly condemns this decision, which will only serve to further inflame tensions on the ground and undermine the U.S.’s already weakened global standing. 

Trump first made his controversial declaration on Jerusalem in December amid the FBI’s investigation of his campaign’s Russian collusion scandal. The decision to relocate the U.S. embassy was met with overwhelming international condemnation and a UN vote rejecting the Trump administration’s unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 

Since then, it seems like each time former members of his staff are indicted or news of his team’s corruption and foreign ties are exposed, Trump responds by punishing the Palestinian people in an effort to drum up right-wing Zionist support. In the new year, Trump cut more than 60% of U.S. aid to UNRWA and has since threatened to cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority if it fails to “come to the table” for peace talks with Israel. 

What Trump deliberately ignores is that decades of bipartisan U.S. foreign policy has considered Jerusalem as disputed territory and a final status negotiation issue. His reckless move has been a deep departure from established policies toward the Middle East, and has sent a clear message to Palestinians that their self-determination is no longer a priority in negotiations. 

In another unethical and dangerous act that has been criticized as privatizing U.S. foreign policy, casino magnate and billionaire Republican donor, Sheldon Adelson, a staunch Zionist and supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu, has offered to pay for the construction of the embassy which would cost a minimum of $500 million dollars. Lawyers at the State Department are now considering the legality of this contribution.  

Meanwhile, Trump’s announcement to coincide the opening of the embassy with the Nakba has elicited criticism from around the world. The Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Saturday that this decision “represents a new and dangerous episode in a series of [...] wrong decisions that have been going on since last December” and that it “annuls the capacity required for the US to sponsor a peaceful process leading to a just and lasting solution to the conflict.” 

Palestinian leaders have also condemned the hasty decision to open the embassy on the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, arguing that this underscores the U.S.’s pro-Israel bias and its total disregard for the Palestinian people who continue to suffer under Israel’s brutal military occupation. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat stated that it “reaffirms our position that the U.S can no longer be part of the peace process.”

As Trump continues to receive blowback from his campaign’s Russian corruption scandal, and while failures to stop mass shootings have reignited debates about gun control and the NRA’s toxic grip on the Republican party, it is evident that the President has chosen to divert attention from domestic troubles by punishing Palestinians once again. AMP calls on the administration to respect the Palestinian people’s rights in accordance with international law and to stop this course of blatant self-serving politics over a fair and even-handed foreign policy.    


TAKE ACTION: We have the means to make a difference! For the last four years, AMP has been offering hundreds of students, community activists, and leaders the opportunity to train in political organizing and civic engagement in order to cultivate a new generation of advocates for Palestine. We are asking that you join us from March 16 – 19 for an empowering program that brings Palestine to lawmakers. Join 150 registered participants from 21 states by registering today! 

This year, we’re planning visits to the offices of a hundred Members of the House and Senate as well as a meeting with State Department officials. Will you join our delegation or sponsor someone to do so? 

Aside from the issue of Jerusalem, one of the policies we are pushing for could make a difference in the lives of Palestinian children, the first bill of its kind to express open support for Palestinian lives. We hope you can join us!