Jerusalem is the holy land for the three of the biggest religions on the planet, which makes it a very touchy spot for any political intervention in the area. Intervene the United States did! On Monday the 14th, the US officially moved our embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Embassies are traditionally placed in country’s capitals, so following the United Nations’ denial of Israel’s request to formally change their capital city to Jerusalem, this shows underhanded support of that move by the US in the face of the UN.

Jerusalem is the holy land for Christianity. the world’s most populous religion because Christians believe their lord and savior was taught, killed, and resurrected in the city. Muslims, the second largest world religion, also claim the area as in the Quran, Jerusalem was the last place the Prophet Muhammad visited before he ascended to heaven and returned with the holy word of God. The Jews also claim it because it was the birthplace of their religion, with the first forefather Abraham sacrificing his son in the area.

Palestine is a Muslim state, whereas Israel is Jewish. Israel and Palestine have been at odds; and war at times, since 1948 when Israel and Palestine first formed as independent countries following the Arab-Israeli War of 1947. Over time, with US support financially and militarily, Israel has claimed the majority of the territory granted to the pair at their formation. The decision to move the embassy shows United States support of Israel’s domination in the territory. In addition to the US moving to Jerusalem; Guatemala and Paraguay have followed suit, with the Czech Republic, Romania and Honduras reportedly considering the move. These countries likely want to remain in good standing with the ever changing trade regulations coming out of the Trump administration. Small Latin American countries rely on the partnership of North American trade superpowers to exist in the region, so it’s unlikely these nations care too heavily about the politics regarding the move.

The upside of the situation comes from the Israeli point of view where finally their country is recognized as a Jewish state with total sovereignty. Israel has claimed since it’s establishment that it is not a full nation without worldwide acceptance of their claim to at the very least, a portion of Jerusalem as its capital. With the United States moving their embassy to Jerusalem, we finally accept the Israeli claim to the capital city with undeterred support. Jewish Senior Shelby Green even happily added “Israel has been a country supported by the US since 1948 and it’s wonderful that we finally recognize the sovereignty of them as a nation” even jokingly adding “#JewsRock”

On the other hand, “It’s completely out of hand to claim a portion of a land that’s already claimed by 2 too many groups,” Senior Xavier Prince explained in response to Green’s comment. Many agree with Prince, that having Israel and Palestine squabble over the territory is an avoidable conflict if neither of them get it, and the US’ intervention only shows that we support Israel more than peace in the region.

It is uncertain whether taking the toy from both of the fighting children would promote any more peace than granting it to one or the other, but it is certain that Palestine will leverage this into a net gain for them from the United Nations. The move also doesn’t mean that Palestine has any less claim to the city, only that Jerusalem is now more of an official, unofficial capital for Israel than ever before.