President Trump announced today that the United States government recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. It has long been JCRC’s view that the failure by the nations of the world, including the United States, to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is a historic injustice. Since 1949, when Israel established its capital in those parts of West Jerusalem under its sovereignty, the nations of the world have refused to recognize it. This refusal has singled out Israel amongst all nations, denying Israel the right that every other sovereign nation has to determine the location of its own capital within its sovereign territory. JCRC welcomes progress towards removing this injustice.

And yet, at this moment of pride and joy for so much of our community, we must also acknowledge that many in our community have raised questions and concerns about the timing of this announcement. We support a two-state solution, directly negotiated by the Israelis and Palestinians. We are concerned that today’s action could potentially damage the prospects for achieving — and diminish the ability of the United States to act effectively as a facilitator of — the peace that we all desire. The path to peace is challenging. We have no crystal ball that tells us which steps complicate or smooth the way forward.

We hope that Israeli and Palestinian leaders will act in the best interest of their people and take meaningful steps to ease tensions and advance the cause of peace. We reaffirm our own commitment to support efforts that hasten the realization of peace, security, and prosperity for both Israelis and Palestinians.