Donald Trump will go against decades of US policy when it comes to Jerusalem – it is a bad move

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Palestinians burn Israeli and American flags during a protest against Donald Trump’s intention to move the US embassy to Jerusalem (Reuters)

Jerusalem is a city of peace, not politics. Jerusalem is equally holy to Muslims, Christians and Jews.

The legal status of Jerusalem is defined by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181, which recommends the city be administered as a separate entity. When Israel applied to be admitted to the UN in 1949, it specifically recognised the legal effect of Resolution 181 on Jerusalem. The US policy since then has treated Jerusalem as city whose fate must be decided by negotiation, and not by force.

During the Six Day War of 1967 Israel occupied the Palestinian West Bank and East Jerusalem, and later it annexed the city of Jerusalem in 1980. However, the United Nations Security Council Resolution 478, adopted by 14 votes to none, declared the law null and void. No foreign country today has an embassy in Jerusalem.

US policy has long refrained from recognising Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine, and it always has been. In 1980, Israel illegally declared the city of Jerusalem as its undivided capital. In 2015 the Supreme Court issued a decision reaffirming US practice that forbids Americans born in Jerusalem to list Israel as their country of birth on passports.

Tel Aviv, and not Jerusalem, is the capital of Israel. Only two countries around the world, the Czech Republic and Colombia, have recognised it as such. Countries such as the US, Canada, Australia and all European nations recognise only Tel Aviv as the capital, and hence maintain their embassies there.

Israel’s leaders are so arrogant that they believe in the notion might is right. Israel is very powerful and thinks it can do whatever it wants unchallenged, even if its action is, in fact, unjustified. President Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is a self-proclaimed expert on the Middle East, will not attend an open house if they know the house was built on stolen land. Then why did they both bend backwards to appease Israel by cementing Israeli occupation and sovereignty over the city of Jerusalem?

Moving the US embassy to Jerusalem would, without question, be very unwise. It would only exacerbate, rather than diminish, tension in the Middle East.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph
Ohio

The UK needs to take a stand over Trump’s approach to Israel

There may be “no one in the White House able to restrain him”, as Robert Fisk says, but that does not mean Britain and her Nato and European allies should be doing nothing.

It is not enough for Boris Johnson to say he was “concerned about reports Trump would recognise Jerusalem as Israel`s capital”. Downright disapproval is needed immediately, then joint communiques from European leaders disassociating themselves from Trump’s idiotic action, and then the return of all American diplomats from their embassies, starting with the one in London. Cancelling Trump`s forthcoming visit to the UK is also an immediate priority.

It is not good enough to wait for Americans to take action themselves against him: Americans wanting to impeach their president need all the support they can get!

Bernie Evans
Liverpool

Do not drag Liverpool and Manchester into the northern Brexit agenda

With reference to John Harvey’s letter regarding putting a border across England “from the Dee to the Wash”, he seems to have forgotten the fact that both Manchester and Liverpool both voted to Remain, unlike a considerable number of places below this proposed border. This fact appears to be constantly ignored by a London-centric press, not to mention our embarrassing apology for a Government.

Please do not associate our proud cities with this self-destroying lunacy.

Ian Poole
Liverpool

The Government needs to take action on Universal Credit

Frank Field MP nailed it yesterday in Parliament. His talk of constituents’ problems with universal credit reduced Heidi Allen to tears. The level of pain caused by welfare reform is horrendous, not getting better though. Tory MPs should show the compassion of Allen and pause, fix or scrap UC.

As we move to 2018, I really do fear for the people affected by UC. Disabled and terminally ill people will be particularly affected by changes, as they stand to lose thousands. I want reform that works for the many, not the few. Underclaiming of benefits runs to billions, carers are missing out and so are renters. We need a take up campaigns, not cuts!

Gary Martin
London E17

Theresa May is being short-changed

The last few days of Brexit negotiations must have opened Theresa May’s eyes to the rising cost of living.

She now sees just how little that £1bn deal with the DUP bought her.

Sasha Simic
Hackney

Irish border semantics

That border – transparent, strong, frictionless, flexible, innovative.

Isn’t it time to subcontract it to Durex?

John Wieczorek
Reading