The Battle for Jerusalem

As terror groups rain fire on Israel, their focus remains on contesting the Jewish right to Jerusalem. In a context in which even Israel’s allies dispute the country’s right to the Holy City, Jerusalem needs to be sustained at the forefront of our political effort

Leader: President George H. W. Bush

Status: Rebuffed early overtures to move America’s embassy

Lesson: Politicians rank issues based on how frequently they’re raised

The fighting between Israel and the Islamic Jihad terror group last week was the most recent example of the summer flare-ups that have taken place in recent years. The rounds of tension often coincide with the anniversary of the liberation of Jerusalem, with the Gaza-based terror groups attempting to cow Israel into canceling the annual Flag March through the Old City.

Until 1995, even the US didn’t recognize the city as Israel’s capital. But the move that year by Congress — with President Clinton’s assent — to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem wasn’t followed by most of the international community.

Even the Trump administration’s implementation of the embassy move in 2018 — which failed to trigger the mass unrest across the Arab world that had been feared — hasn’t significantly broken the opposition of the international community to Israeli control of the city.

Five years on from the embassy move, there’s no room for complacency: Jerusalem needs to be sustained at the forefront of our political effort today, because there are many people trying to undermine US recognition.