By COLlive reporter
In a historic move five years ago, the United States relocated its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing the holy city as the capital of Israel.
The move on May 14, 2018, was hailed as a long-awaited acknowledgment of Jerusalem’s unique place in Jewish history and identity, and a powerful statement of support for Israel and its sovereignty over the city.
“It was a firm rejection of the false claim that Jerusalem could or should be divorced from Israel’s national identity,” says David Friedman, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Israel at the time.
Friedman, in an op-ed in Israel Hayom, recalled how “most of the world’s pundits predicted that moving the US embassy to Jerusalem would cause endless wars and unresolvable conflicts.”
“After we moved our embassy, Israel succeeded in normalizing relations with four Muslim countries – the Abraham Accords,” he pointed out, referring to Israel’s peace deal with United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
“Some have said that the Abraham Accords were achieved despite moving our embassy to Jerusalem. No, the Abraham Accords were signed because of the move,” Friedman argued.
“In moving our embassy, we ended the fantasy within parts of the Arab world that Israel might cease to exist or that the bond between Israel and America could be broken.
“We demonstrated that the United States will always stand with Israel but, at the same time, we signaled that the United States was prepared to stand as well with nations of good faith who are prepared to combat extremism and bring about a more stable and peaceful Middle East.
“Our message to moderate Sunni nations was as clear then as was Isaiah’s message in ancient times: the path to better relations with America runs through Jerusalem. This is the formula for Middle East peace and it all began on May 14, 2018, with the opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem.”
VIDEO:
i24NEWS Correspondent Nicole Zedek takes a look the five-year anniversary
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