President Trump is the first US President in over two decades to put Congress legislation into practice (“Deadliest day since 2014 war as US moves embassy to Jerusalem”, 15/5). It is a fine achievement for Trump, and an indictment on all before, who promised and failed to deliver a US Embassy in Jerusalem.
The Trump Derangement Syndrome of so many who should know better appears, however, to continue to adversely affect our own federal government. There is no excuse for PM Turnbull not to follow President Trump and move the Australian Embassy to Jerusalem too. To claim that such a move is not conducive to promoting peace is to surrender to the Jew-hating criminals of Hamas, rather than to acknowledge the just actions of the world’s most powerful democracy.
Terry Davis, Lindfield, NSW
Watching the news on television this week has made me wonder about the moral standing of our nation, Australia. The world is crying out at the killing of protesting Palestinians, including children, in Gaza, while President Trump’s daughter and son-in-law are smiling at the camera to rejoice at the decision of moving their embassy to Jerusalem — a move that greatly jeopardises peace in that region.
This is on top of the news of the US pulling out from the Iran nuclear deal — again against the wish of most countries — a decision that causes resentment and economic uncertainty in Iran and Europe.
Because of our “friendship” with the US, which boasts nearly 800 military bases in more than 70 countries and territories in the world, including Australia, we have steadfastly maintained our silence in the face of such inequities. Instead, we cast our suspicious eye on the Confucius language schools.
This week a former US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, came to Australia and warned us against “foreign interference”. Most people took it to mean China. I beg that we should look at another country instead.
Francis Lee, Zetland, NSW
Israel is indeed an imperfect country (Letters 14/5). But it is (unfortunately) the only democracy in the Middle East — even though some people may not like or appreciate that fact. So just to clarify a few facts for Roy Clogstoun, Israel does have peace treaties with two of its neighbours. But there are 18 countries in the Middle East. Even with declining maths skills in Australia, one should be able to work out that the vast majority of the countries in the Middle East do not accept Israel.
The claim that no one is disputing Israel’s right to exist is factually-challenged, to say the least. Iran’s official position is to try to wipe Israel off the map, and chants about “freeing” Palestine from Jewish people from the river to the sea, are heard at every pro-Palestinian rally, including in Australia.
Yasser Arafat did indeed sign a peace treaty — he even won a Nobel Peace Prize for it. Unfortunately, he perfected a skill of saying one thing in English to a gullible (Western) audience, while delivering the true message of hate to his core constituency in Arabic. So while talking about peace, Arafat was financing the purchase of 50 tonnes of weapons (the Karine A affair), leading US leaders to conclude that peace and Arafat were not compatible.
Most people do hope and pray for a resolution of the conflict in the Middle East. It will take a lot of effort — and given the deeply anti-Semitic views of Mahmood Abbas representing the West Bank and terrorist Hamas representing Gaza, it will require a true peace partner to emerge on the Palestinian side before we see any progress.
Anatoly Kirievsky, Matraville, NSW
If any more evidence was needed to confirm that competing religious sensitivities over the holy city of Jerusalem were at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, then the Israeli response to demonstrations against the new US embassy prove this assertion beyond doubt (“US embassy sparks bloodshed”, 15/5).
The embassy move, in fact, symbolises the joining of US evangelical Christians with their fellow Israelis in declaring Jerusalem to be the undivided and eternal capital of the Jewish state. It is a move that knowingly delegitimises any claim of Palestinian Muslims to the holy city, and its exclusivity can only lead to more tragedy and bloodshed.
Vincent Zankin, Rivett, ACT
[These letters have appeared in The Australian in response to the current round of violence along the Gaza border.]