Letter to the editor for May 27
Move U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem
On May 14, 1948, World News featured “The Declaration of the new state of Israel” by David Ben-Guiron, premier of reborn Israel, telling of the new life instilled into his people.
The New York Times wrote: “In all of the most hopeful periods of their troubled history the Jewish people here gave a sign of relief and took a new hold on life when they learned that the greatest nation USA had cast the deciding vote and accepted them into the UN fraternity of nations.”
Glance back in your Bible to over 4.000 years ago and read Genesis 12, verses 1 through 3: “And God said to the nation of Israel ‘I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee.’”
Hasn’t God blessed the USA as we have always stood up for Israel? Currently, there is a movement to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In 1995 Congress passed a law that would do this no later than May, 1999. The Senate approved the measure with an overwhelming 93-5 majority. The House approved the law by a whopping 374-37 in favor of America moving its embassy to Jerusalem.
This would be a clear indication to the nations of the world that America acknowledged Israel’s right to Jerusalem as its rightful capital. America, in obedience to Congress, purchased a choice location of land in Jerusalem for its embassy but the land has remained barren for almost 22 years. There is no U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, even though a law was passed overwhelmingly by our Congress.
The reason is conspicuous and shameful. The law of Congress was never implemented. All three presidents, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, opposed the law. The explanation of their opposition was very weak and said to be based on national security interests. With little evidence, they opposed both Houses of Congress and both major political parties.
Threats from the Islamic world and secret money from Arabia and Egypt and other Middle East nations more likely influenced our presidents. Our new president, Donald Trump, has said he wants to move our embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and the land is waiting. Undoubtedly, these radical Islamist governments and jihadists groups will continue these attempts to do all they can to undermine America’s new president and his administration from moving the embassy. I am confident President Trump will not capitulate to them.
James Shull
Rock Hill
This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 12:53 PM with the headline "Letter to the editor for May 27."