Recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital is good for peace. Britain should do so too

TELEMMGLPICT000148528077-xlarge_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq8U3dV0k8-47x-Y38_MK1aZxWLfs5mAvkbXYQqrLnBas.jpeg Figures on the Palestinian side have stirred up anger at the decision
Figures on the Palestinian side have stirred up anger at the decision CREDIT: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP
Some have opposed the United States’s decision on the grounds that it risks encouraging violence. It is true that since the announcement, “Days of Rage” were declared by the Palestinian leadership and Hamas, with the latter also calling for an “intifada against the Zionist enemy”.

Iranian-controlled Hizbollah has this week called for “millions of martyrs” to sacrifice themselves for Jerusalem. Unfortunately, this is nothing new: terror groups such as Hamas and Hizbollah have repeatedly made such declarations over the years.

Those who wished to murder innocent civilians before the American decision will still want to do so after the decision. We should therefore be clear where the moral blame for violence lies: with the perpetrators themselves.

In Jerusalem today, religious freedom is strongly upheld: all sacred sites are rigorously protected, as are the rights of all believers.

Each faith community autonomously administers its own holy places: the Rabbinate oversees the Jewish sites, the Islamic Waqf oversees the Muslim holy sites, and the relevant churches oversee their respective Christian holy sites. In a region plagued by extremism and intolerance, where in recent years all too many religious sites have been desecrated or destroyed, and where religious minorities have been forced to flee persecution, contemporary Jerusalem stands out as a beacon of tolerance and freedom.

Jerusalem today is a diverse, pluralistic and modern capital with ancient roots. Anyone who is aware of Jewish history and heritage knows the centrality of Jerusalem to the Jewish people, as has been the case for the past three millennia.

The words of Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, in 1949 still ring true today: “The attempt to sever Jewish Jerusalem from the State of Israel will not advance the cause of peace in the Middle East or in Jerusalem itself.” Indeed, there can be no peace without Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Other countries, including the United Kingdom, should follow the US in recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving their embassies there. In contrast to much of the perceived wisdom surrounding this issue, such a move would be both just and good for peace