Can Biden move the US Embassy back to Tel Aviv?

[TomC]

I'd really like this to happen.

We should have an embassy in Israel. But not in the religious hot spot, Jerusalem.


Christians, Jews, and Muslims all claim Jerusalem for their own religion. How about the USA government stays out of all that religious crap, and keeps our secular government's official offices in secular Tel Aviv?


Yeah, it'll be another billion dollars fixing Trump's b.s.
But we're used to that. Or, at least, we will be before Biden fixes everything Trump messed up.

Tom

 

[Trausti]

He won’t.

 

[Derec]

1. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, not Tel Aviv.
2. Moving the embassy to Jerusalem has been US law since 1995. It was passed in a bipartisan manner with large majorities in both the House and the Senate. All the presidents from Clinton on dragged their feet on actually implementing it.
3. This is one of the few things Trump did well.

 

[Harry Bosch]

I'd really like this to happen.

We should have an embassy in Israel. But not in the religious hot spot, Jerusalem.


Christians, Jews, and Muslims all claim Jerusalem for their own religion. How about the USA government stays out of all that religious crap, and keeps our secular government's official offices in secular Tel Aviv?


Yeah, it'll be another billion dollars fixing Trump's b.s.
But we're used to that. Or, at least, we will be before Biden fixes everything Trump messed up.

Tom

And then Trump or the next republican president will just move it back again in four years or 8. What's the advantage? I was against moving it to Jerusalem. But it's there now. We ought to stay out of these silly religious wars as much as possible. There is no possible win for the US here.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

He shouldn't. Israel gets to decide where it's capital is, we don't get a vote. Embassies go in the capital.

 

[TomC]

Embassies go in the capital.

Please explain why you think that this is absolutely true.
Personally, I don't.
Tom

 

[Jayjay]

Traditionally, embassies have been in the capital city because their purpose is to facilitate communication with the country's government. Hence, it's logical to be co-located wherever the seat of government is. In this modern age it's not that crucial, thanks to advances in communication and transportation technology. In case of Israel it's a political decision either way.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Embassies go in the capital.

Please explain why you think that this is absolutely true.
Personally, I don't.
Tom

Traditionally, embassies have been in the capital city because their purpose is to facilitate communication with the country's government. Hence, it's logical to be co-located wherever the seat of government is. In this modern age it's not that crucial, thanks to advances in communication and transportation technology. In case of Israel it's a political decision either way.

It's not as important but there are still communications that are handled in person for secrecy reasons.

 

[Jayjay]

Traditionally, embassies have been in the capital city because their purpose is to facilitate communication with the country's government. Hence, it's logical to be co-located wherever the seat of government is. In this modern age it's not that crucial, thanks to advances in communication and transportation technology. In case of Israel it's a political decision either way.

It's not as important but there are still communications that are handled in person for secrecy reasons.

In case of Israel though, it's about half an hour difference in travel time. Whenever the US embassy delivered a Pizza to Netanyahu, it used to be free, but now he has to pay the FULL PRICE.

 

[laughing dog]

He shouldn't. Israel gets to decide where it's capital is, we don't get a vote. Embassies go in the capital.

That is tradition initiated in a time of primitive communication and transportation technologies, not a legal or logical requirement.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

He shouldn't. Israel gets to decide where it's capital is, we don't get a vote. Embassies go in the capital.

All the other countries up to speed on this with Israel? Regardless, this is another broken thing from Trump.

Biden moves it back, the next Republican move it back. And it becomes a ridiculous tug of war.

 

[Derec]

Regardless, this is another broken thing from Trump.

Why is it a "broken thing from Trump"? He merely enforced a bipartisan law from the 90s.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Traditionally, embassies have been in the capital city because their purpose is to facilitate communication with the country's government. Hence, it's logical to be co-located wherever the seat of government is. In this modern age it's not that crucial, thanks to advances in communication and transportation technology. In case of Israel it's a political decision either way.

It's not as important but there are still communications that are handled in person for secrecy reasons.

In case of Israel though, it's about half an hour difference in travel time. Whenever the US embassy delivered a Pizza to Netanyahu, it used to be free, but now he has to pay the FULL PRICE.

It not essential that an embassy be in a capital but there's no good reason to move it away from the capital other than as a major insult to the country.

 

[Keith&Co.]

He shouldn't. Israel gets to decide where it's capital is, we don't get a vote. Embassies go in the capital.

All the other countries up to speed on this with Israel? Regardless, this is another broken thing from Trump.

Biden moves it back, the next Republican move it back. And it becomes a ridiculous tug of war.

We'll just end up with two embassies, 3/4 staffed. The ambassador moves between one and the other as directed by the party in power. Sort of like a winter house and a beach house. Or like an admiral, the 'actual' embassy is wherever the Ambassador flies his flag.

Or, not, and we just choose the filter for the Zoom meeting. "Yeah, we're in Tel Aviv, sure. Moved everything back last night."

 

[Swammerdami]

Wikipedia: "There are currently 89 embassies in Israel, of which 87 are located in Tel Aviv [District] and 2 are located in Jerusalem." The two are U.S.A. and Guatemala. Three other super-powers are soon to open embassies in Jerusalem including Kosovo, Malawi and Equatorial Guinea.

The message that the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem sends to the world is disgusting. It might as well be "We hate all you ragheads; we giggle when we see you suffer. We will never be on good terms with any raghead country except Saudi which we love so very very much because they have the sort of murderous Crown Prince Dictator we admire."

To move the Embassy back to Tel Aviv would send a huge message to the world: "The U.S. is recovering its humanitarian values!" The only reason NOT to make the move is that it would serve as a propaganda point for Republican idiots. However, by now every single Republican is drenched in lies and it hardly matters what the truth is. What, do you think Sean Hannity is going to take time off from his busy schedule of lying about the Steal, lying about Hunter, and lying about AOC to annoy his dim-witted viewers with mention of an Embassy move? (It's safe to say a majority of Republicans will already answer Yes to a poll blaming Biden for already making the move to Tel Aviv, if the question were phrased to elicit that reaction.)

 

[Jayjay]

There is the question of congressional approval though. The decision to move the embassy came from congress, and presidents from Clinton to Obama simply dragged their feet in implementing it. If Biden were to move it back to Tel Aviv with an executive order, it raises valid questions about misuse of power regardless of any moral messages it might send internationally.

Secondly, there are a lot of other ways the US is biased towards Israel. It'd be a little bit hypocritical and almost counter-productive to go through with the largely symbolic relocation of the embassy back to Tel Aviv, while continuing to pour billions of dollars of military and other aid to Israel. If Biden wanted to take a stand against Israel's policies (which I don't even think he does), there would be more effective ways to do it.

At best, I think Biden might stop the bribing of other countries to move their embassies to Jerusalem, but that's about it.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

He shouldn't. Israel gets to decide where it's capital is, we don't get a vote. Embassies go in the capital.

All the other countries up to speed on this with Israel? Regardless, this is another broken thing from Trump.

Biden moves it back, the next Republican move it back. And it becomes a ridiculous tug of war.

We'll just end up with two embassies, 3/4 staffed. The ambassador moves between one and the other as directed by the party in power. Sort of like a winter house and a beach house. Or like an admiral, the 'actual' embassy is wherever the Ambassador flies his flag.

Or, not, and we just choose the filter for the Zoom meeting. "Yeah, we're in Tel Aviv, sure. Moved everything back last night."

Meanwhile at the US Embassy for Israel

Ambassador: New President, change the address on the Letterhead to Tel Aviv.
Staffer: Do you think anyone will figure out we aren't even remotely close to Israel?
*zooms out to beach in Fiji*
Ambassador: We've been like this for 35 years and no one has noticed yet.

 

[Gospel]

World powers should get it over with and declare Jerusalem the capital of earth and tell any country trying to lay claim of it (including Israel) to kick rocks. Then to add special sauce, regardless of their country of origin, anyone who lives there will be called Canaanites. That's the only way to get remotely close to peace as well as returning Jerusalem to its rightful owners.

 

[TomC]

Traditionally, embassies have been in the capital city because their purpose is to facilitate communication with the country's government. Hence, it's logical to be co-located wherever the seat of government is. In this modern age it's not that crucial, thanks to advances in communication and transportation technology. In case of Israel it's a political decision either way.

This is all true, but there's another crucial element.
Jerusalem is not just another old city. It's a Holy site for three competing and militaristic religious groups. Tel Aviv is a better place for secular purposes like government.

I think moving the secular capital to a Holy city was little more than militaristic posturing intended to incite trouble with the Muslims and Palestinians. I admire a great deal about Israel, but the Zionists are quite capable of appalling behavior as well. I'd rather the USA didn't support that.
So, of course, it was our most appalling president.
Tom

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Wikipedia: "There are currently 89 embassies in Israel, of which 87 are located in Tel Aviv [District] and 2 are located in Jerusalem." The two are U.S.A. and Guatemala. Three other super-powers are soon to open embassies in Jerusalem including Kosovo, Malawi and Equatorial Guinea.

The message that the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem sends to the world is disgusting. It might as well be "We hate all you ragheads; we giggle when we see you suffer. We will never be on good terms with any raghead country except Saudi which we love so very very much because they have the sort of murderous Crown Prince Dictator we admire."

To move the Embassy back to Tel Aviv would send a huge message to the world: "The U.S. is recovering its humanitarian values!" The only reason NOT to make the move is that it would serve as a propaganda point for Republican idiots. However, by now every single Republican is drenched in lies and it hardly matters what the truth is. What, do you think Sean Hannity is going to take time off from his busy schedule of lying about the Steal, lying about Hunter, and lying about AOC to annoy his dim-witted viewers with mention of an Embassy move? (It's safe to say a majority of Republicans will already answer Yes to a poll blaming Biden for already making the move to Tel Aviv, if the question were phrased to elicit that reaction.)

Embassies that already exist shouldn't be moved without good reason if a capital moves. We shouldn't have moved it, but we certainly shouldn't move it away from the capital.