Trump, Jerusalem and international law
NOVANEWS
By Lawrence Davidson
The relevance of international law
It is not easy to write anything new about President Trump’s 6 December 2017 announcement that he – and supposedly the US as a nation – was recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. After all, plenty of very smart and attentive people have already commented on this decision. I particularly like those who pointed out that Trump’s move replicated that of Arthur Balfour. As Balfour had assumed in 1917 that he could promise Palestine to the Zionists, so Trump seems to have assumed he could legitimise Jerusalem as Israeli territory. The connection seems to support the philosopher George Santayana’s observation that those who know no history are bound to repeat it.
As was the case with Balfour, neither Trump nor the US Co...
