Trump Administration to Close PLO Office
On Monday, the State Department announced the shut down of the unofficial Palestinian embassy in Washington D.C.. The Palestinian Liberation Organization is not technically an embassy representing Palestinian people because the U.S. does not recognize Palestine as a state; however, the P.L.O. offices function with the same purposes as an embassy. The State Department marks the reason for shut down as Palestine is not taking advances for meaningful negotiations with Israel. Additionally, the report mentions that the U.S. is concerned with Palestine's attempts to investigate Israel’s crimes on the border of Gaza through the International Criminal Court. Palestine negotiator Saeb Erekat declares that these actions are a form of bullying and “collective punishment” against the Palestinian people and also claim it is part of a plan to cover up Israel’s crimes. This decision comes after the Trump Administration formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, sparking much controversy and debate. These actions have contributed to the deepening rift between the US and Palestine.
Do you think the Trump Administration’s actions were smart in this political climate? Is there any other way the US could have approached the situation?
What does this mean for US’ international relations and how other countries perceive the states?
Previous administrations have made more of an attempt to appear unbiased regarding the Israel-Palestinian conflict. To maintain a political relationship and not deeply involve themselves in a complex conflict, the US has not recently been as aggressive in favoring one side over the other. However, the Trump administration has presented much bias favoring Israel as seen in his friendly relations with Netanyahu. I believe Trump should view the conflict more objectively when making decisions that could be potentially inflammatory. Although it is understandable that Palestine is supported by nations such as Iran that Trump has conflicts with and it is obvious that international relations is not this administrations strong suit, a relationship with Palestine should still be maintained.
ReplyDeleteThe Israel-Palestine conflict is a conflict that is very complicated and stretches multiple generations meaning that both sides have been victims of each other. With that being said, I find it foolish that after decades of at least trying to appear objective, we are starting to favor one side. If anything, we should be trying to facilitate peace rather than adding flame to the fire. The fact that we are starting to reveal bias towards Israel in the midst of Palestine attempting to prosecute them could also hurt us down the road. Both sides have wants that can't be met, so I feel that the only way they can reach an agreement is by making big compromises on both sides. Trump's point that Palestine is technically not a nation is valid, but it doesn't mean that we should show bias and help fuel a disagreement when both sides have made their fair share of mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Andrew that this matter will not be resolved by taking sides. After decades of hard work to try and bring the two sides to a consensus, this move made by the Trump administration sets Israel-Palestine relations back by decades. I do not see how taking sides will resolve this conflict, as one cannot just ignore the Palestinians' demands and hope the problem will die down. Although this move is extreme, I hope the Trump administration has a goal in mind, and will not simply make this already tense situation worse.
ReplyDeleteIn such a longstanding, historical conflict, the Trump's Administration of changing the US's original, relatively-objective stance to heavily favoring one side is not a good decision. Rather than alleviating the conflict and facilitating compromise, Trump's actions have cemented and even aggravated the conflict. It would also have a significant humanitarian impact, for as the issue prolongates, the number of displaced Palestinians, who also have a share to the land, would also increase. With Palestine having strong ties with the majority of Arabian states, it is possible that such actions from the Trump administration could strain US's relations with various other countries. With many of those countries being the major oil exporters that the US relies on, it is possible that there could be another oil embargo such as the one in 1970 that would dramatically hurt the US economy. In sum, I believe such actions from the Trump Administration would be hurtful to not just global relations but the US as well in the long run.
ReplyDeleteThe Trump Administration is careless for blatantly supporting Israel by shutting down the PLO office. By openly favoring one side, America inherits the distrust from enemies of Israel and supporters of Palestine simultaneously in the field of international relations. If the US wants Palestine to negotiate Israel, they should avoid hostile actions such as shutting down Palestinian institutions. Instead, they should persist in helping Israel strike promising negotiations.
ReplyDeleteBy closing the PLO embassy and recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the Trump administration is working against peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict. The US should be focusing on a two-state solution by recognizing both Israel and Palestine and also recognizing that there are atrocities that are being done by both sides of the conflict. Although the administration says that they are mad about Palestine not working towards peace, the Trump administration is the real group that is not working towards peace by taking sides in this conflict.
ReplyDeleteThe PLO is an organization tied to acts of terrorism. Although it "denounced" terrorism in 1988, it continues to provide finances to active terrorists. Their offices in the United States were just a front to finance their terrorist activities. By shutting down the PLO offices, the Trump Administration is fighting terrorism. The PLO thinks that through terrorism, they can get what they want, which is the reason why they don't want to negotiate with Israel. Although this is a very controversial issue, I think the Trump Administration is doing the right thing in this case. Trump is putting effort towards fighting terrorism. The shutting down of the PLO offices has nothing to do with Trump declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. If Palestine forms a representative organization that is not tied to terrorism, then I think they should have an embassy in the US. However, since the PLO is tied to terrorism, it should not be represented in the United States.
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