Topic of the day:-“Capital crisis — on U.S. recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital”
U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, despite warnings at home and abroad, will worsen the Israel-Palestine conflict. Jerusalem, which houses holy places of all three Abrahamic religions and is claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians, is at the very heart of the dispute. Israel built its seat of power in West Jerusalem decades ago and occupied the East during the 1967 war, and later annexed it. Palestinians insist that East Jerusalem should be the capital of their future state. Even though there is a Congressional resolution in the U.S. urging Washington to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, previous American Presidents avoided doing so given the legal, ethical and political implications of the issue, besides their commitment to a negotiated two-state settlement. By breaking with this consensus, Mr. Trump has in effect endorsed the Israeli claims to East Jerusalem. The decision will likely help him bolster his image among the Jewish lobby in Washington as well as American evangelical groups, his social base. Israel is obviously happy. Though Arab countries have voiced protest, they are unlikely to challenge an American decision. Mr. Trump’s move raises vital questions about U.S. diplomacy in the region besides putting new roadblocks in the peace process. It could be viewed as illegal as the Israeli claim that Jerusalem “complete and united” is its capital has been declared “null and void” by UN Security Council Resolution 478, which also asks member-countries to “withdraw diplomatic missions from the Holy City”. The U.S. is now acting against the spirit of this resolution. The Jerusalem gambit risks triggering another cycle of protests and repression in the Occupied Territories. In 2000, Ariel Sharon’s visit to the al-Aqsa compound in the Old City sparked the second intifada. Palestinians are expressing similar distress today. The peace process is not going anywhere, while Israel has gradually been tightening its occupation and building new settlements. Hamas has already called for a third intifada. In the longer term, Mr. Trump has just made the two-state solution more complicated. The Israeli-Palestine conflict can be settled only after an agreement is reached on the status of Jerusalem. The city was not part of Israel in the original 1947 UN plan to partition Palestine. Jerusalem, which was supposed to be ruled by an international trusteeship, was conquered by Israel. This is why the UN has not recognised it as Israel’s capital. With his latest announcement, Mr. Trump has endorsed the occupation. And in doing so, he has undermined the U.S.’s position as a neutral broker in Israeli-Palestinian talks. In short, he has dealt a blow to the peace process.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Conflict
Meaning: A prolonged armed struggle.
Example: “regional conflicts”
Synonyms: Campaign, Encounter
Antonyms: Peace
2) Annexed
Meaning: Add or attach as a condition or consequence.
Example: “extreme anointing hath neither ordinance of God to be grounded on, nor promise of grace annexed”
Synonyms: Add, Append
3) Insist
Meaning: State positively and assertively.
Example: “the chairman insisted that all was not doom and gloom”
Synonyms: Maintain, Assert
4) Relocate
Meaning: Move to a new place and establish one’s home or business there.
Example: “sixty workers could face redundancy because the firm is relocating”
Synonyms: Move, Change
Antonyms: Stay, Stagnate
5) Embassy
Meaning: The official residence or offices of an ambassador.
Example: “the Chilean embassy in Moscow”
Synonyms: Consulate, Legation
6) Implications
Meaning: The conclusion that can be drawn from something although it is not explicitly stated.
Example: “the implication is that no one person at the bank is responsible”
Synonyms: Suggestion, Inference
Antonyms: Explicit
7) Negotiated
Meaning: Try to reach an agreement or compromise by discussion.
Example: “they refused to negotiate with the rebels”
Synonyms: Debate, Confer
8) Consensus
Meaning: A general agreement.
Example: “there is a growing consensus that the current regime has failed”
Synonyms: Agreement, Accord
Antonyms: Disagreement
9) Endorsed
Meaning: Recommend (a product) in an advertisement.
Example: “he earns more money endorsing sports clothes than playing football”
Synonyms: Support, Back
Antonyms: Oppose
10) Bolster
Meaning: Support or strengthen.
Example: “the fall in interest rates is starting to bolster confidence”
Synonyms: Strengthen, Support
Antonyms: Undermine
11) Jewish
Meaning: Relating to, associated with, or denoting Jews or Judaism.
Example: “the Jewish people”
12) Lobby
Meaning: A group of people seeking to influence legislators on a particular issue.
Example: “members of the anti-abortion lobby”
Synonyms: Interest group, Movement
13) Evangelical
Meaning: Of or denoting a tradition within Protestant Christianity emphasizing the authority of the Bible, personal conversion, and the doctrine of salvation by faith in the Atonement.
Example: “an evangelical preacher”
Synonyms: Missionary, Evangelistic
14) Vital
Meaning: Absolutely necessary; essential.
Example: “secrecy is of vital importance”
Synonyms: Essential, Important
Antonyms: Unnecessary, Secondary
15) Roadblocks
Meaning: A hindrance or obstruction.
Example: “the biggest roadblock to solar power is its price tag”
Synonyms: Obstruction, Disturbance
16) Null and void
Meaning: Having no legal force.
Example: The change in the law makes the previous agreement null and void.
Synonyms: Bail, Actionable
17) Spirit
Meaning: The prevailing or typical quality, mood, or attitude of a person, group, or period of time.
Example: “I hope the team will build on this spirit of confidence”
Synonyms: Ethos, Essence
18) Gambit
Meaning: An act or remark that is calculated to gain an advantage, especially at the outset of a situation.
Example: “his resignation was a tactical gambit”
Synonyms: Scheme, Move
19) Repression
Meaning: The action of subduing someone or something by force.
Example: “students sparked off events that ended in brutal repression”
Synonyms: Suppression, Restraint
Antonyms: Freedom, Liberty
20) Sparked
Meaning: Provide the stimulus for (an event or process).
Example: “the trial sparked a furious row”
Synonyms: Start, Cause
