“Benjamin Netanyahu has chalked up a genuine diplomatic accomplishment,” opined a senior Haaretz pundit about Israel's prime minister after US President Donald Trump’s Dec. 6 declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Not only has the focus shifted from the police investigations embroiling Netanyahu, he noted, “It has moved to the prime minister’s comfort zone: the political-security arena.” As the headline for a report of Trump’s pronouncement, News 1 proclaimed, “Tremendous achievement. Netanyahu knew what he was doing.” A respected journalist at Globes waxed poetic, proclaiming, “Netanyahu’s Jerusalem of gold.” She also wrote, tongue-in-cheek, “Despite being suspected of corruption, the prime minister hasn’t stopped working and won’t let anyone take away his credit on Jerusalem.”
Netanyahu rushed to leverage the presidential prize, calling on other countries to follow Trump’s lead, stating, “The president's decision is an important step toward peace.” How, exactly, one might ask, is a unilateral move on such a controversial issue a boon for peace? “It connects everyone to reality,” the peace expert explained.
