Reuters Falsely Links Jerusalem Embassy, Two-State Solution
The Jerusalem office park which houses Guatemala’s embassy
Multiple recent Reuters articles incorrectly report that moving the Brazilian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is a dramatic move away from the two-state solution. For instance, a Dec. 30 article, “Brazil moving its embassy to Jerusalem matter of ‘when, not if’: Netanyahu,” (Dec. 30) reported about the possible Brazilian move:
Such a move by Bolsonaro would be a sharp shift in Brazilian foreign policy, which has traditionally backed a two-stated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
That piece appeared in Arabic as well.
A Dec. 31 article, “Bolsonaro takes office in Brazil, says nation ‘liberated from socialism,” took an even more extreme line, saying a Jerusalem embassy move would be a “break” from the two-state solution:
As a clear sign of that diplomatic shift, Bolsonaro plans to move the Brazilian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, breaking with Brazil’s traditional support for a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue.
In fact, as is apparent from the cases of the American and Guatemalan embassies, relocation to Jerusalem is not a shift away from a two-state solution.
Daniel Shapiro, who served as Ambassador to Israel under President Obama, wrote in The Washington Post:
[N]othing about our embassy’s location there would prevent the emergence of a shared city with two capitals as part of a two-state solution. Perhaps inadvertently, President Trump’s decision has opened the door for much more frank discussion about an eventual Palestinian capital, and U.S. Embassy to Palestine, in East Jerusalem.
He explained:
West Jerusalem has served as Israel’s capital since the founding of the state, and no plausible two-state map would change that. Our embassy’s presence in the city reinforces the legitimacy of historic Jewish ties to the city, which are too often denied by Palestinians.
Indeed, as Reuters itself just reported, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently expressed openness to a two-state solution (“Pompeo says US open to ‘two-party solution“):
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested on Monday he was open to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, saying a “two-party solution” was likely in his first extensive comments on peace efforts since taking the job last week.
In addition, as Reuters reported Sept. 26: “Trump says he wants two-state solution for Middle East conflict.”
These lines are being written dozens of meters away from Guatemala’s embassy in southern Jerusalem. There is no evidence that Guatemala does not support a two-state solution.
Thus, there is no linkage between the location of a country’s embassy in Jerusalem and its policy vis-à-vis a two-state solution. The location of foreign embassies in Jerusalem does not preclude the future establishment of a Palestine state, even one whose capital lies in part of the holy city of Jerusalem.
More from SNAPSHOTS
Historical Malfeasance of The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
June 27, 2016
The Daily Telegraph (Australia) headline "Israeli Thunderbolt hostage-rescue raid on Entebbe was a drama worthy of Hollywood blockbusters" is certainly true. Despite the promising headline, the seemingly light "historical" article celebrating 40 years since the [...]
Some Cover, Others Cover Up, Abbas Anti-Semitism
June 24, 2016
It’s difficult to imagine German chancellor Angela Merkel standing before the European Parliament and announcing that, having studied the misshapen skulls of minorities in Germany, she has concluded that phrenology is a legitimate science. It’s [...]
Former Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering Testified in Favor of Iran Deal While Taking Money From Boeing
June 23, 2016
The Daily Beast, an internet magazine covering current events, has disclosed that Thomas Pickering, an influential State Department official in both Democrat and Republican administrations, failed to sufficiently disclose his paid relationship with Boeing corporation [...]
Bias by Editing: A Devilish Washington Post-Associated Press Detail
June 22, 2016
In journalism schools—those in which accuracy and context are still prized—it would have been an introductory example of bias by editing. In an Associated Press dispatch-turned Washington Post news brief it was a textbook case [...]
Where’s the Coverage? Hezbollah Works with Drug Cartels
June 21, 2016
Hezbollah, the Lebanese-based, Iranian-backed Shi’ite Muslim terror group, has—in partnership with drug cartels—developed “the most sophisticated money laundering scheme or schemes that we have ever witnessed,” a former top Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) official told [...]
Tribune Newspapers Contradicts Themselves in Refusing to Correct
June 15, 2016
Tribune Newspapers (including The Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Baltimore Sun) offered a contradictory refusal to a request by CAMERA for a correction to an article calling disputed territories, some of which are held [...]
Timely Recall of Huffington Worldpost Op-Ed: More Acts of Jewish Terrorism than Muslim Terrorism in the United States
June 14, 2016
In the wake of a horrific Islamist inspired massacre, its important to remind readers of the mindset that exists in certain quarters of the media culture. On December 9, 2015, The World Post, a "Partnership [...]
A Preoccupied Western Media Fails to Appreciate the Historic Revival of Ties Between Russia and Israel
June 13, 2016
The recent meeting in Moscow between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin marks a milestone in the continuing rapproachment between Israel and Russia. The growing engagement between these former bitter adversaries [...]