On Dec. 6, President Donald Trump made the correct move of recognizing Jerusalem as the true capital of the Jewish state of Israel and will also begin the process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. I’ve judged this course of action to be in the best interest of the United States of America and the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians,” said the President. 

The move is long overdue because in 1995, Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act with massive bipartisan support but kept delaying the move because of fears that it would lead to an rise in violence and make peace more difficult. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama made promises during their campaigns that they’d get the job done but they failed to do so. 

“After more than two decades of waivers, we are no closer to a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians,” President Trump added. “It would be folly to assume that repeating the exact same formula would now produce a different or better result.” 

Multiple world leaders weren’t pleased with the decision. Even Pope Francis wasn’t happy.

“I cannot remain silent about my deep concern for the situation that has developed in recent days,” Pope Francis said, according to the New York Times. “And at the same time, I wish to make a heartfelt appeal to ensure that everyone is committed to respecting the status quo of the city, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations.”

Many advocates for a two-state solution share the same thoughts. 

However, the president didn’t say that he isn’t interested in peace.

“This decision is not intended in any way to reflect a departure from our strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace agreement,” explained the commander-in-chief. “We want an agreement that is a great deal for the Israelis and a great deal for the Palestinians.” 

 This move signifies our respect for sovereignty for Israel. Diplomatic tradition has allowed sovereign states to name their capitals, and Israel has specifically called Jerusalem its own capital. 

It’s understandable why previous administrations didn’t follow through on this move, but it shouldn’t be disputable that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. It’s where Prime Minister Ben Netanyahu resides, it’s where the parliament is, it’s where the government agencies are and, of course, it was the capital of the Kingdom of Israel in biblical times. 

The Palestinian envoy to Britain, the president of the Palestine Authority Mahmoud Abbas and the terrorist group Hamas all warned the decision would have consequences. But we shouldn’t let their irrationality dictate our policy. 

Critics will say it disrupts the “peace process.” Well, there was no peace under Clinton, Bush, or Obama when we didn’t recognize Jerusalem as the capital and move the embassy there. How does Trump continuing the status quo going to make this any different? 

As of now, there is no peace process. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has refused to meet with Israel to discuss anything since early in the Obama era. 

Abbas talked about Jerusalem’s history as a Muslim and Christian city but made no mention that it’s also a famous Jewish city, having been established as the capital of biblical Israel a thousand years before Jesus was born. Does that seem like a president that’s interested in peace? I don’t believe so. America and Israel are interested in peace but the Palestinians are not. According to the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion, about 42 percent of Palestinians favor a violent uprising.

Finally, there were concerns that only America would be moving their embassy alone. That is false. The Filipinos, Czechs, among other nations are now also considering following America’s lead and that’s a good thing because that shows that American leadership still counts. 

It’s important that America is leading once again and it’s important that we take necessary risks and defend our ally, Israel. A coexistence between the two states may sound nice and it would be, but until the Palestinians cooperate, it doesn’t look like it’ll happen anytime soon.