Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived

1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters
2. Hearings
3. On the Record

Note: Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the big news on the Middle East front this week was President Trump’s “Jerusalem Proclamation,” recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announcing the start of the process to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. There have been tons of excellent (and not-so-excellent) articles on the issue. Shameless plug here for two from me:

Huffington Post 12/6: Making America’s Mideast Policy Great Again?

Times of Israel 12/6: Reflections on the Death of the Peace Process

New York Times: December 6, 2017
"Praise and Alarm from American Jews Over Trump's Jerusalem Move," APN's Debra DeLee quoted in a story about US Jewish reactions to Trump's move on Jerusalem. 

ABC (Australia): December 7, 2017
"'The worst thing he could have done': Middle East peace advocate," APN's Debra Shushan interviewed on Australian radio and TV regarding Trump's Jerusalem decisions. Listen to the radio interview here.

Cleveland Jewish News (JTA story): December 4, 2017
"Jared Kushner talks about his peace plan, and leaves everyone guessing," APN criticizes the administration for not offering a conflict-ending horizon to Israelis and Palestinians.

From Peace Now:

The recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the current context, is a unilateral step undermining the chances for peace. The US has given up on its position as an honest broker that can help Israel and the Palestinian achieve peace, and Israel has lost the best ally it could have for that role. Jerusalem is no more “united” after the recognition and its status is as disputed as ever.
The only way to make Jerusalem universally recognized as the legitimate capital of Israel is through a two states agreement in which the Palestinians establish their own capital (Al-Quds) in east Jerusalem side by side with Israel’s Yerushalayim in west Jerusalem.

Join APN for a briefing call on Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and its repercussions with Ambassador Jacob (Jake) Walles, Former US Consul General to Jerusalem.

Listen here

Donald Trump today sabotaged decades of American efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. By announcing his disastrous new policy on Jerusalem, he is causing severe damage to the prospects of Middle East peace, imperiling lives, and degrading US leadership.

Defying the counsel of America's top diplomats and security experts, as well as the urging of US regional and international allies, Trump decided to put politics before policy, to cater to domestic extremists in his political base, and to toss a match into the most combustible place on earth: the holy city of Jerusalem. Trump's irresponsible action has further eroded American prestige and influence in the international arena.

Americans for Peace Now strongly opposes any move by the Trump Administration to alter longstanding US policy on Jerusalem outside the context of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Here is what you need to know:

• 1. President Trump made a landmark announcement on Jerusalem on December 6th.

President Trump did two things in his speech: he reversed 70 years of American policy by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and he announced plans to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  

• 2. Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, without any acknowledgment of Palestinian claims to Jerusalem, is the root of the problem.

Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. But the timing of international, and particularly American, recognition of this matters – as do the particular borders of Jerusalem that are recognized. The reason is that Palestinians also have legitimate claims to Jerusalem as the capital of their eventual state and any realistic peace plan includes at least some portion of East Jerusalem as that capital.

Moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, in the absence of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, recognizes Israeli claims to Jerusalem while giving the Palestinians nothing. And timing matters. Trump’s impending announcement is occurring as Congress prepares to cut, through the Taylor Force Act, aid that would benefit the Palestinian Authority, and following Trump’s near-decision to close the PLO mission to Washington. (Since Trump's announcement, PA President Mahmoud Abbas recalled Palestinian diplomats in protest.) Adding to that, US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and/or relocation of the US embassy creates a “triple whammy” against the Palestinians. It will severely damage American credibility as an honest broker of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and in foreign policy more broadly. So much for President Trump’s avowed desire to make the “ultimate deal.”