THIS could be one of Donald Trump’s biggest policy missteps in his presidency so far.
His undoing of decades of US policy on Jerusalem has not only raised the ire of the global community and alienated close allies, but has also defied the opinion of ordinary Americans.
One US opinion poll showed that 63 per cent of all Americans oppose moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, including 44 per cent of Republicans.
In a blow to the US, the UN has voted overwhelmingly to rebuke the Trump administration for its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Previous to the vote, Trump threatened to cut aid to countries that supported the measure.
For sure, such a move would damage America’s Middle East policy. It has also triggered accusations from Muslims of US bullying, blackmail and intimidation.
However, the US president’s threats against nations poorer than his own did not appear to have had much of an effect.
The UN measure requires that all member states — including the US — act according to a UN Security Council resolution that says no country should establish diplomatic missions in Jerusalem.
Only eight nations sided with the US in rejecting the measure, with 128 — including Malaysia — advocating its passage and 35 abstaining.
Aside from Israel, the seven were relatively poor countries that plausibly could have, to some degree, been influenced by the threat of aid removal.
Middle East watchers and scholars say they don’t see the logic in the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and possibly moving the US embassy to Israel there — before it even unveils what’s certain to be a controversial plan for Middle East peace.
“In fact, the move would go against the very priorities that the (US) administration has set for itself in the Middle East: fighting Islamist militancy and confronting Iranian influence,” said Shibley Telhami, non-resident Senior Fellow — Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy, US Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution.
“Jerusalem is the perfect issue for Iran and Islamist militants to use to mobilise support against the United States and those who endorse its policies,” he wrote.
In the first place, the White House may have underestimated the centrality of Al-Quds to the Palestinians and the Muslim world.
This was the case in 2000 in the lead-up to the Camp David negotiations that president Bill Clinton mediated.
The issue of Jerusalem later brought the negotiations down.
Trump must have misread the Muslim and Arab sentiment.
The huge protest that took place on Friday in the heart of Putrajaya, joined by tens of thousands of people and similar protests elsewhere, was an example of deep Muslim anger at his pro-Israeli stance.
In a show of unity, the rally was joined by Pas and opposition figures and members as well as Muslim non-governmental organisations and some Christian groups. Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang was unwell and he was represented by his son, Mohamed Khalil Abdul Hadi, who also addressed the rally.
In his speech, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak made it clear that although Malaysia enjoyed close ties with Washington, he would not compromise his principle as a Muslim on the Palestinian cause.
He said he would not budge from championing the cause, “even if it means cutting me up into pieces”.
He said Malaysia would not beg for or solicit US aid.
The nine countries voting “no” were the US, Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, the Marshall Islands and Togo. Among the notable abstentions were Australia, Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic and Mexico.
The absent countries included Kenya, which was the fifth-largest recipient of US aid last year, and Georgia and Ukraine, both of which have close US ties.
A Jalil Hamid feels in a digital world, the winner does not always take all. He can be reached via jalil@nst.com.my