O Jerusalem!

Now that Trump has opened the U.S. Embassy in Israel - or at least a makeshift version of it - in Jerusalem, Palestinians are rioting in the occupied territories over official American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital when Palestinians want it to be a capital of their eventual state.  The United States wants to continue to achieve a peaceful solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but the Palestinians want nothing to do with American mediation any more because they don't see us as an honest broker.  And they probably wouldn't trust us even if a Democratic President moved the U.S. Embassy back to Tel Aviv sometime in the future.   

Multilateral mediation? The Arab states have their own internal problems, and the Europeans have more sympathy than power to being a Palestinian state about.  Short of a herculean effort by the United Nations, there doesn't seem to be much of a prospect for that.

Jerusalem will never be a neutral city or a free city-state, because both the Israelis and the Palestinians at least agree on a position against that.  I don't understand why any future Israeli-Palestinian border can't just go right through the city and effectively create two cities of Jerusalem.

After all, we have two Kansas Citys.

To respond to the complaint that Kansas City has no religious significance, I need only point out that Kansas City is near the place along the Missouri River where Mormons believe Jesus will return.

Not making that up.

And if there's a world war over the Middle East, expect Moroni to blow his horn signifying the Second Coming. 

No word on what Robert Jeffress would think of that.

Where's the Process?

President Obama spoke at the United Nations yesterday trying to shore up his bona fides as a peacemaker and as strong ally of Israel.  He expressed his support for a Palestinian state but advocated against United Nations recognition of an independent Palestine, explaining that peace cannot be forced, and that it can only be negotiated.  Theoretically, Obama shored up his support from Jewish voters for 2012 in electorally important states such as New York and Florida.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy - who is also up for re-election in 2012, seemed to take a more focused and sharpened approach.  He advocated admitting the Palestinian Authority in a lesser form of U.N. membership - observer state status, to be precise - but suggested that the Israelis and the Palestinians give themselves a year to work something out.  That plan may suggest a forced peace, but it also encourages both sides to work toward a solution that has been elusive for far too long.  By contrast, Obama seemed to be abdicating any serious role in pursuing an agreement.   

So did President Obama at least placate the world body? Maybe, but only temporarily under the best circumstances.  Did he help shore up his voter base in, say, Florida? Given today's 391-point drop in the stock market that wiped out a lot of investments from retirees, he's going to have to do a lot more than just provide assurances to Israel to win the Sunshine State next year. 

And no matter what happens to the American economy, the Palestinians aren't likely to get their state soon.