28. Support Jerusalem as a Future Capital of Two States

Until President Trump’s 2017 announcement recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and his declaration that he had thereby taken the issue of Jerusalem “off the table,” it was longstanding American policy to support the idea of Jerusalem as a future capital of both Israel and Palestine. This reversal led to a Palestinian boycott of the U.S. and a demand that its role as mediator between the two parties be curtailed, but more saliently it has put a peace deal farther out of reach by unilaterally trampling a core Palestinian priority. While the parameters must be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians, the U.S. should affirm its support for Jerusalem as the current capital of Israel and as the future capital of Palestine, with the details of what that means left to be negotiated in a permanent status agreement.