Poll of the Day > Trump declares Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/12/06/568838360/watch-president-trump-to-speak-on-jerusalem

"I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," President Trump said in an address from the White House on Wednesday afternoon. He also directed the State Department to "begin preparation to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem."

Trump's announcement fulfills a campaign promise while threatening to unsettle volatile politics in the region. It's a dramatic shift from American foreign policy for the last few decades, and such a move will make the U.S. the only country with an embassy in Jerusalem.

Trump said previous presidents have "failed to deliver" on pledges to acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. "I am delivering," he said, in a speech that began shortly after 1 p.m. ET.

"Today we finally acknowledge the obvious," he said. "This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality."

Jerusalem is claimed by as a capital city by both Israelis and Palestinians, and determining the status of the city would be a central element of any possible peace agreement.

For decades, world powers including the U.S. have refrained from taking sides in that dispute, locating their embassies in Tel Aviv and avoiding any reference to Jerusalem as a part of Israel.

Trump says his announcement does mean the U.S. is taking a position on any possible future peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, or the "final status" of Jerusalem after such talks.

In 1995, Congress passed a law calling for the U.S. to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and for the embassy to be moved to Jerusalem. But every president since then has chosen to waive that law, putting off implementation six months at a time.

As The Two-Way reported yesterday:

"Moving the embassy was one of Trump's campaign promises as he appealed to pro-Israel voters, including many American evangelicals.

"The White House insists the Jerusalem policy change does not lessen the chances for reaching peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Officials said regional leaders contacted before the decision were committed to encouraging a peaceful solution. But the administration also took precautions.

"The State Department issued warnings to diplomats in the region that protests could break out in the region following a change in policy on Jerusalem."

The decision "does not sit well with many key players in the region," as NPR's Scott Neuman wrote this morning:

"Jordan's King Abdullah reportedly told the president that the expected decision will have 'dangerous repercussions on the stability and security of the region,' according to a palace statement.

"Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who spoke by telephone with Trump, warned of 'the dangerous consequences such a decision would have to the peace process and to the peace, security and stability of the region and of the world,' Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said in a statement, according to Al-Jazeera.

"That was a sentiment echoed by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who cautioned that it 'would undermine the chances of peace in the Middle East.'

"In a fiery televised speech on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Trump by name that the move constituted a 'red line' for Muslims.

" 'We could go as far as cutting diplomatic ties with Israel over the issue,' Erdogan said."

"There will of course be disagreement and dissent" over the announcement, Trump said on Wednesday. But he called for peace between all parties.

Jerusalem is a divided city with a long and bloody history of conflict, NPR's Greg Myre and Mark Katkov write:

"Deadly riots targeting Jewish communities erupted in 1929 over the city's most contentious holy site, known as the Temple Mount to Jews and the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims. Recognizing the religious sensitivities, the United Nations proposed a partition plan in 1947 that created two separate states, but called for Jerusalem to be under international control.

"The plan was approved, but fighting following Israel's declaration of independence left the city divided. Jordan occupied the east; Israel the west. It remained this way until the 1967 war, when Israel captured the eastern part of the city as well and claimed all of it as its capital. Amid peace negotiations in 2000, Ariel Sharon, then the Israeli opposition leader, visited the Temple Mount / Noble Sanctuary. Palestinians rioted the next day and it turned into a five-year uprising, the Second Intifada. ...

"Palestinian Arabs make up nearly 40 percent of Jerusalem's population and live almost exclusively in the east. They are legal residents, but not citizens of Israel.

"Following Israel's capture of East Jerusalem in 1967, the city's borders were redrawn, tripling its size. Some 200,000 Jewish Israelis have moved to the eastern side of the city and a small number of Jewish nationalists have established residence within traditionally Arab neighborhoods.

"Arab residents of East Jerusalem typically do not participate in municipal elections, so as not to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the city. The two communities have little social interaction."

Isn't the capital of Israel what Israel says it is?
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Lokarin posted...

Isn't the capital of Israel what Israel says it is?

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I just tweeted to Trump about this, first time tweeting a celebrity.

Of course, I tweeted a joke - not a real opinion.
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Muscles posted...

Lokarin posted...

Isn't the capital of Israel what Israel says it is?

I know the default thinking here is Trump is automatically assumed to be doing something something terrible but...

Israel does say Jerusalem is their capital, it's everyone around Israel that says it shouldn't be.

This move is controversial not because Trump is trying to force Israel into something, it's because Jerusalem is a contested piece of land with religious significance to the Palestinians as well.

Now, I'm not saying this isn't a bad move, but the assumed notion some people are making is this is bad move because it's unfair to Israel, when that isn't the case or intention.
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Stupid. Does nothing to advance the peace process, will likely inflame tensions and anti-Americanism in the Middle East, has no tangible gain for anyone. It says something that everyone from Europe to freaking Russia told Trump this was a stupid idea.

For someone who blathers endlessly about "America first", Trump seems to greatly enjoy making things more difficult for American interests.
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ForteEXE3850 posted...

Muscles posted...

Lokarin posted...

Isn't the capital of Israel what Israel says it is?

I know the default thinking here is Trump is automatically assumed to be doing something something terrible but...

Israel does say Jerusalem is their capital, it's everyone around Israel that says it shouldn't be.

This move is controversial not because Trump is trying to force Israel into something, it's because Jerusalem is a contested piece of land with religious significance to the Palestinians as well.

Now, I'm not saying this isn't a bad move, but the assumed notion some people are making is this is bad move because it's unfair to Israel, when that isn't the case or intention.

I just didn't know what they considered their capital
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ForteEXE3850 posted...

Israel does say Jerusalem is their capital, it's everyone around Israel that says it shouldn't be.

Few people actually have an issue with Israel claiming West Jerusalem as their capital; the issue is that Israel claims the entire city as their "undivided" capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as their capital. The longstanding global thought has been that the status of Jerusalem needs to be something sorted out in negotiations between the two groups.

America declaring Jerusalem as the Israeli capital makes them less likely to be seen as an unbiased mediator in the peace process. If Trump was serious about pursuing Israeli/Palestinian peace, he would not be doing this.
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Maybe Palestine should just fuck off already, they aren't going to win this, they just want to be instigators and can't accept reality
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Muscles posted...

Maybe Palestine should just fuck off already, they aren't going to win this, they just want to be instigators and can't accept reality

What is reality, mr muscles?

Maybe he should also put the US embassy to Palestine in Jerusalem. That'd simplify things a bit. No reason Jerusalem can't be the capital of both countries.
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MICHALECOLE posted...

Muscles posted...

Maybe Palestine should just fuck off already, they aren't going to win this, they just want to be instigators and can't accept reality

What is reality, mr muscles?

They are never getting Jerusalem back, and its just a matter of time until Israel takes all of it back
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"It's the right thing to do"
So legitimizing a country annexing territory is the right thing to do, guess we can't criticize Russia for annexing former Soviet states anymore. After all, they used to belong to Russia, so it's clearly justified.

OmegaShinkai posted...

"It's the right thing to do"
So legitimizing a country annexing territory is the right thing to do, guess we can't criticize Russia for annexing former Soviet states anymore. After all, they used to belong to Russia, so it's clearly justified.

While we're at it, maybe Britain should take over the US again.

Muscles posted...

MICHALECOLE posted...

Muscles posted...

Maybe Palestine should just fuck off already, they aren't going to win this, they just want to be instigators and can't accept reality

What is reality, mr muscles?

They are never getting Jerusalem back, and its just a matter of time until Israel takes all of it back

It's so cute when Muscles tries to understand complex geopolitical issues.
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Here's something I don't often get to say: I don't disagree with the President on this. Now to be fair, I don't agree entirely either. The gesture is mostly pointless and will only make people angry. But maybe that's fine. Israel's capital totally has been Jerusalem for a long time. This really is just an acceptance of reality. It certainly doesn't push the conflict toward a two-state solution, but I don't particularly care about that. If Israel could be properly restructured and Palestinians given full citizenship, a one-state solution would be fine. The entire conflict is stupid and it's ridiculous that it's gone on this long. It's the fault of both sides.

What a completely pointless thing to do, it does nothing good for anybody, and could potentially lead to violence.
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SushiSquid posted...

Here's something I don't often get to say: I don't disagree with the President on this. Now to be fair, I don't agree entirely either. The gesture is mostly pointless and will only make people angry. But maybe that's fine. Israel's capital totally has been Jerusalem for a long time. This really is just an acceptance of reality. It certainly doesn't push the conflict toward a two-state solution, but I don't particularly care about that. If Israel could be properly restructured and Palestinians given full citizenship, a one-state solution would be fine. The entire conflict is stupid and it's ridiculous that it's gone on this long. It's the fault of both sides.

This is pretty much exactly it, the U.S. has endorsed Israel's occupation of Jerusalem in every way except officially, including financially. This move is largely just symbolic.
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Sounds like a step in the right direction, since it'll help push the world into accepting what's already the status quo.
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Zeus posted...

Sounds like a step in the right direction, since it'll help push the world into accepting what's already the status quo.

Aren't you always going on about how important it is to combat Islamic Extremism and anti-American sentiment in the Middle East? That improved relations with Russia were worth it for exactly that reason?

Do you think a move like this gives Hamas less pull with the Palestinians or more?

SushiSquid posted...

It certainly doesn't push the conflict toward a two-state solution, but I don't particularly care about that. If Israel could be properly restructured and Palestinians given full citizenship, a one-state solution would be fine.

A one-state solution would - for all intents and purposes - be Palestine, not Israel.

There are roughly 12.5 million Palestinians in the world, spread throughout Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and various refugee camps in other nearby nations. By contrast, Israel has roughly 6.25 million Jews in its populace. If Palestine and Israel were to unite, with full citizenship rights for all current Israelis and Palestinians, the Palestinians would outnumber Israeli Jews by a 2:1 margin.

This is exactly what John Kerry warned about in one of his last speeches as Secretary of State - under a one-state solution, Israel would either be a democratic state or a Jewish state, but it could not be both.
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Lmao @Zeus.
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I'm aware there are more Palestinian/Arab Israelis than Jewish ones, although I didn't know it was nearly a 2:1 ratio. I'm still fine with the concept of a united Israel. Those cultures need to learn to get along at some point.

This whole situation is so arrogantly weird, fits right in with the rest of this term.
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Muscles posted...

Lokarin posted...

Isn't the capital of Israel what Israel says it is?

SushiSquid posted...

Israel's capital totally has been Jerusalem for a long time. This really is just an acceptance of reality.

This. Trump did the right thing for once.

darkknight109 posted...

Zeus posted...

Sounds like a step in the right direction, since it'll help push the world into accepting what's already the status quo.

Aren't you always going on about how important it is to combat Islamic Extremism and anti-American sentiment in the Middle East? That improved relations with Russia were worth it for exactly that reason?

Do you think a move like this gives Hamas less pull with the Palestinians or more?

Because we're doing so well under a half-solution? Hamas is emboldened by the international community's condemnation of Israel. Forcing the international community to more fully recognize and support Israel helps to push groups like that down. Supporting strong states makes it harder for terror to flourish. It's only when you try to create new fledgling democracies that you make areas vulnerable.
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Zeus posted...

Because we're doing so well under a half-solution?

There are more options other than "Make the situation worse" and "Do nothing."

Zeus posted...

Hamas is emboldened by the international community's condemnation of Israel. Forcing the international community to more fully recognize and support Israel helps to push groups like that down.

In what ways does this move force the international community to do anything? If anything, this looks to be having the opposite effect, as countries from Germany to Russia to Sweden are sounding off against the move. Turkey is threatening to cut diplomatic ties with Israel, and a lot of Sunni-Arab states who have warmed to Israel in the last few years over a shared need to work against Iran are now weighing their responses, and I can 100% guarantee that none of those responses will be pushing warmer ties with Israel.

More to the point, any Palestinian who was willing to put their faith in Trump to be an unbiased negotiator is now going to re-evaluate their position. And if the US isn't willing to bargain in good faith, there's little incentive for the Palestinians to come to the table.

This does nothing to advance the peace process; if anything, it makes it substantially harder to achieve, since Jerusalem has long been one of the most fractious issues even without outside agitation.

Zeus posted...

Supporting strong states makes it harder for terror to flourish.

Hasn't seemed to stop Saudi Arabia. Or Iran. Or Pakistan. Or...
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darkknight109 posted...

Zeus posted...

Because we're doing so well under a half-solution?

There are more options other than "Make the situation worse" and "Do nothing."

On the contrary, this IMPROVES the long-term situation. You're essentially arguing that it's better to let a ship continue sinking than gradually stabilize it to get it afloat.

darkknight109 posted...

Zeus posted...

Hamas is emboldened by the international community's condemnation of Israel. Forcing the international community to more fully recognize and support Israel helps to push groups like that down.

In what ways does this move force the international community to do anything? If anything, this looks to be having the opposite effect, as countries from Germany to Russia to Sweden are sounding off against the move. Turkey is threatening to cut diplomatic ties with Israel, and a lot of Sunni-Arab states who have warmed to Israel in the last few years over a shared need to work against Iran are now weighing their responses, and I can 100% guarantee that none of those responses will be pushing warmer ties with Israel.

More to the point, any Palestinian who was willing to put their faith in Trump to be an unbiased negotiator is now going to re-evaluate their position. And if the US isn't willing to bargain in good faith, there's little incentive for the Palestinians to come to the table.

This does nothing to advance the peace process; if anything, it makes it substantially harder to achieve, since Jerusalem has long been one of the most fractious issues even without outside agitation.

It's pretty much the only real path forward unless you're planning on getting rid of Israel which, as we all know, is Europe's Final Solution. Further legitimizing the state gets us closer to Israel being fully accepted and the rest of the world behind it.

And, if you want to stabilize the middle east, instead of kowtowing to terrorists like you seemingly suggest, it makes sense to build which can help to bring prosperity and stability to the region.

darkknight109 posted...

Zeus posted...

Supporting strong states makes it harder for terror to flourish.

Hasn't seemed to stop Saudi Arabia. Or Iran. Or Pakistan. Or...

...you mean state sponsors of terrorism? You might as well add the USA to that list.
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Zeus posted...

On the contrary, this IMPROVES the long-term situation. You're essentially arguing that it's better to let a ship continue sinking than gradually stabilize it to get it afloat.

More arguing that drilling holes in the bottom of the ship in the hopes that it improves ballast probably won't stabilize it or help the original problem.

Zeus posted...

It's pretty much the only real path forward

Except, you know, negotiations.

I mean, remember the Oslo Accords? Secured an overall agreement and framework for peace? Seemed to be on pretty good track until a right-wing extremist assassinated the Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin because said extremist opposed the Accords and didn't want peace with Palestine?

I mean, this sort of thing has worked in the past. But no, I guess the only way forward now is to inflame tensions in hope of sparking greater conflict and driving the various regional powers further from the goal of peace.

Zeus posted...

And, if you want to stabilize the middle east, instead of kowtowing to terrorists like you seemingly suggest, it makes sense to build which can help to bring prosperity and stability to the region.

How does this "build" anything? The US isn't supplying funds or promoting investment or any other such constructive activity with this decision, else I might see the logic.

Zeus posted...

Further legitimizing the state gets us closer to Israel being fully accepted and the rest of the world behind it.

How does this further legitimize the state? How does it further the aims of having it fully accepted when the decision appears to be driving other countries to sever diplomatic ties, which you may recognize as the exact opposite of legitimization?

Furthermore, why are we worried about Israel being delegitimized, but not Palestine? Again, I might see the logic here if Trump had recognized West Jerusalem as the Israeli capital (as Russia did) and East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital. That actually puts some teeth into this, because it's no longer one-sided (essentially telling both sides what America supports out of the deal). It would still be needlessly inflammatory and dictating something that the two sides should be figuring out themselves, but at least it would be equally so and not nakedly favouring one side.

Then again, who knows, maybe a common enemy would actually do the peace talks some good...

Zeus posted...

planning on getting rid of Israel which, as we all know, is Europe's Final Solution

Zeus posted...

...you mean state sponsors of terrorism? You might as well add the USA to that list.

Quoted without comment, simply to marvel at how backwards they are.
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adjl posted...

While we're at it, maybe Britain should take over the US again.

Honestly, at this point I am all for it. There are definitely things I don't agree with the Brits on, but our political landscape is also pretty fucked up at the moment. I'm game to just let the brits rule over us for a few decades until we can sort out some stuff.
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All dog owners know that if you have more than one dog in your house you have to pick one to be a dominant leader / "top dog" and treat him better than the others. Otherwise all the dogs will be constantly fighting with each other for dominance.

Just saying...
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darkknight109 posted...

Quoted without comment, simply to marvel at how backwards they are.

I mean he isn't wrong about the us sponsoring terrorism. We do a lot of it both directly and indirectly.
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slacker03150 posted...

adjl posted...

While we're at it, maybe Britain should take over the US again.

Honestly, at this point I am all for it. There are definitely things I don't agree with the Brits on, but our political landscape is also pretty fucked up at the moment. I'm game to just let the brits rule over us for a few decades until we can sort out some stuff.

How about Greece gets all of Alexander the Greats empire too
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How about Disney buys it and just makes a small world out of it so they can see how to get along.

Zeus is right, this is best for the long-term. In the short term, some people will be upset, but in the long-term this was a crucial yet so simple step forward in getting the world to accept the obvious.

Turkey's threatening to cut ties w/ Israel? For what? Israel didn't do anything, the U.S. did. Last week, Israel called Jerusalem its capital. This week...it still does so. If Turkey was fine w/ Israel's position last week, then guess what? Nothing's changed.

If you thought there was EVER a peace solution that involved Israel ceding part of Jerusalem, you're out of your mind. They'd give up part of Jerusalem about as soon as Muslims would give away half of Mecca.

For decades, Israel's been treated oddly diplomatically, the only developed and/or democratic country in the world where the rest of the world refused to acknowledge the capital city they had chosen. (reminds me of Japan not being allowed to have a real army, another dated anachronism that needs to end)
The sooner it's acknowledged, the sooner the world moves on to acceptance, and eventually it's not a fucking issue anymore, like it shouldn't have been for decades now.

It was already the capital for decades. It had all the seats and important stuff. The US just had it's embassy in Tel Aviv, the bigger and more modern city. And now the US moves their embassy and acknowledges the capital, which makes sense.

Of course Jeruzalem is also the capital of the Palestine State, which doesn't get recognized by the US (neither the state nor the capital) despite the palestine people clearly living there.

To acknowledge one (instead of ignoring/postponing it) is good. Ignoring the other is not good. Hence why I choose "indecisive" in this poll.

I don't agree with Israel's existence as a state in principle, because it was born out of treachery after the war, but it happened and everybody needs to just accept the reality of the situation. Claiming they need to be removed (or eradicated, in some circles) is no different than wanting to boot all of the non-natives out of the Americas. We're long past that point, diplomatically. While it's unpopular in the region to claim Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, that's simply the fact of the matter in my opinion.

The Israeli government is evil with regards to how they treat the Palestinians, but you just need to let things like "what's the capital?" go. East Prussia is now Kaliningrad. Tibet belongs to China. Germany and Japan won the peace. I mean, it's fine to not like something, but acceptance is a whole different matter altogether.
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who cares

jerusalem sucks and religion is dumb anyway

let them have that shithole
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Stupid move.

There was absolutely no downside to just accepting the status quo that every country except for Israel accepted and that to this point we had gone with as well.

The only thing this does is unnecessarily rile people up and potentially risk destabilization.
.
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To the surprise of no-one, this has sparked widespread protests in Israel and Palestine.

Lobomoon posted...

All dog owners know that if you have more than one dog in your house you have to pick one to be a dominant leader / "top dog" and treat him better than the others. Otherwise all the dogs will be constantly fighting with each other for dominance.

Just saying...

You're comparing Israelis and Palestinians to dogs. Just saying...

streamofthesky posted...

Turkey's threatening to cut ties w/ Israel? For what? Israel didn't do anything, the U.S. did.

The US did, at Israel's (long-standing) request. If Israel had, for example, said to the US, "This is a sensitive topic and, out of concerns for regional security, would request that you not make any changes at this time," Trump would have backed down.

As to why Turkey cut ties with Israel and not the US, Israel affords them the greater leverage. They can't cut ties with the US - not without doing significant damage to their own security and economy. Cutting ties with Israel is a much more effective way to air their grievances and put pressure on Israel to come to the bargaining table.

streamofthesky posted...

If you thought there was EVER a peace solution that involved Israel ceding part of Jerusalem, you're out of your mind. They'd give up part of Jerusalem about as soon as Muslims would give away half of Mecca.

Whether you believe that or not, that's not for any outside power to decide. That's up to the Israelis and the Palestinians in negotiations.

streamofthesky posted...

For decades, Israel's been treated oddly diplomatically, the only developed and/or democratic country in the world where the rest of the world refused to acknowledge the capital city they had chosen.

They're also the only developed and democratic country in the world that is illegally occupying and developing land that isn't theirs and that has been repeatedly warned of that fact. Which is exactly why we have this whole mess with the capitol to begin with.
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If it walks like a duck...

Just saying...
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Then expect it to quack?
.
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Not sure why this is news. Trump just stopped delaying the inevitable recognition of reality, as voted for by congress.
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free palestine
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How does this effect anything?
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CSRouge96 posted...

free palestine

nuke palestine
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darkknight109 posted...

More arguing that drilling holes in the bottom of the ship in the hopes that it improves ballast probably won't stabilize it or help the original problem.

While we could play with analogies until the cows come home, it's not a particularly productive avenue. The reality is that the path forward requires a stability of some kind and this ultimately offers it.

darkknight109 posted...

How does this "build" anything? The US isn't supplying funds or promoting investment or any other such constructive activity with this decision, else I might see the logic.

International recognition helps to ultimately push a new status quo and, as far as the middle east goes, Israel is the closest to embodying what we want to see. Their prosperity and success can help to elevate the region in the long run.

darkknight109 posted...

Furthermore, why are we worried about Israel being delegitimized, but not Palestine?

Overlooking the West's history when it comes to treating the Jewish people, Israel is a better representation of the kind of country we want to see in the region.

darkknight109 posted...

Quoted without comment, simply to marvel at how backwards they are.

And I stand by both. Europe is deeply antisemitic and much of its attitude towards Israel is at least partly shaped and informed by that antisemitism. As for the US sponsoring terrorism, have you been living under a rock? Even during the presidential debates -- which I know you watched -- they were openly discussing our policy of backing terrorists to overthrow the Syrian government. The US frequently funds terror to advance its foreign policy, either openly or through backdoor channels like the CIA. And, of course, that's overlooking our completely immoral if not outright illegal drone program which, according to some research, kills more civilians than it does terrorists.

streamofthesky posted...

If you thought there was EVER a peace solution that involved Israel ceding part of Jerusalem, you're out of your mind. They'd give up part of Jerusalem about as soon as Muslims would give away half of Mecca.

This, tbh.

darkknight109 posted...

Whether you believe that or not, that's not for any outside power to decide. That's up to the Israelis and the Palestinians in negotiations.

We're not deciding anything, we're recognizing an already made decision and the reality of that decision. Choosing to not recognize reality doesn't stop it from being reality.

darkknight109 posted...

They're also the only developed and democratic country in the world that is illegally occupying and developing land that isn't theirs and that has been repeatedly warned of that fact. Which is exactly why we have this whole mess with the capitol to begin with.

*cough* Russia, USA, etc *cough* And that's writing off China as a developing rather than a developed nation. Right now, they're the worst in this regard.
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ForteEXE3850 posted...

Muscles posted...

Lokarin posted...

Isn't the capital of Israel what Israel says it is?

I know the default thinking here is Trump is automatically assumed to be doing something something terrible but...

Israel does say Jerusalem is their capital, it's everyone around Israel that says it shouldn't be.

This move is controversial not because Trump is trying to force Israel into something, it's because Jerusalem is a contested piece of land with religious significance to the Palestinians as well.

Now, I'm not saying this isn't a bad move, but the assumed notion some people are making is this is bad move because it's unfair to Israel, when that isn't the case or intention.

Basically Muslims and The Jews have been fighting over their holy land for thousands of years and no one can seem to agree on who has rights over this land.

Lobomoon posted...

All dog owners know that if you have more than one dog in your house you have to pick one to be a dominant leader / "top dog" and treat him better than the others. Otherwise all the dogs will be constantly fighting with each other for dominance.

Just saying...

Not at all dude, I've had several dogs at once and I only had an issue with them fighting once because he was too aggressive to every other dog.
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5 days later and...yup...nothing's happened.
What a shock.

streamofthesky posted...

5 days later and...yup...nothing's happened.
What a shock.

Aside from...
1) A rocket fired into Israel from Gaza, which Israel responded to by bombing two Hamas outposts
2) Palestinian protests that have resulted in at least one dead and several hundred wounded
3) A major Hezbollah rally in Beirut, with the leaders agitating for another major uprising.

So yeah, a bunch of really "positive" developments that were totally worth what Trump got from the deal. Which is nothing.
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