FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/NIKKI HALEY/PALESTINE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Sunday defended President Donald Trump’s decision to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel and begin to move the U.S. embassy, calling it a courageous move that would further the Mideast peace process despite scattered protests world-wide and widespread condemnation.
‘No President, not Clinton, not Bush, not Obama, actually had the courage to make that move and listen to the will of the American people,’ Ms. Haley said on CNN’s State of the Union. ‘The president did the will of the people. When it comes to those people upset, we knew that was going to happen. But courage does cause that.’
She framed the move as beneficial to the peace process, in addition to allowing the president to keep a campaign promise. Previous presidents have declined to move the embassy after saying they would on the campaign trail, out of concern doing so could affect peace talks and because of security concerns…
Mr. Trump faced a deadline last week to sign a waiver to keep the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv or move it to Jerusalem, per a 1995 law. Mr. Trump quietly signed the waiver last week, but declared Jerusalem the capital and directed the State Department to begin the yearslong process of moving the embassy.
On CBS, Ms. Haley said Mr. Trump’s decision neither gave up a bargaining chip in future talks, nor provided an incentive for Israelis to make later compromises…
Ms. Haley said the U.S. would be prepared to accept East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state, if the parties agree to it.”
-Felicia Schwartz, “U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley Defends Trump’s Jerusalem Declaration,” The Wall Street Journal online, Dec. 10, 2017 11:55am