In the above interview with NPR-affiliated Spectrum podcast, Jadaliyya Co-Editor Ziad Abu-Rish discusses the recent Trump administration's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The interview covers the context surrounding the announcement, including its implications for each of the United States, Israel, and the Palestinians, what it reflects about the relationship between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, how much continuity and change the announcement represents, and how to make sense of it in the longer trajectory of US policy toward Israel and the Palestinians. The interview was recoreded on 11 December and aired 20 December 2017.
Interview Content
- 01:55: What does President Trump's announcement mean for the United States, Israel, and the Palesitnians?
- 06:58: What explains the timing of this announcement?
- 10:18: Why are European and other allies of the United States so opposed to Trump's announcement?
- 13:26: What does the announcement mean for the peace process and region more generally?
- 18:00: What about the recent violence and how does it relate to the religious significance of Jerusalem?
- 22:48: How do we make sense of the United States intentionally inflaming the region?
- 25:45: What does the current condition of the State Department have to do with this decision?
- 29:25: How do we expain what appears to be "mistep after mistep" by the United States in the region?
- 34:18: Why should the average American care about this announcement or what happens in the region?
Map of West Jerusalem, East Jerusalem, Israeli Settlements, and Israeli Municipal Boundary
