Trump’s ‘unwise’ decision on Jerusalem

By K. Natwar Singh

President Donald Trump’s decision to shift the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has not only set back the peace process, but also made American diplomacy and foreign policy stand on their heads. The move also hurt the sentiments of over 1 billion Muslims. One wonders if Trump thought through these horrendous pitfalls. American evangelicals are Trump’s supporters. They seem to have achieved what was unthinkable a few weeks ago. He had sent his son-in-law, a Jew, to parley with Israeli leaders to deliberate on the issue. The department of state and the secretary were not in the loop — a novel way to conduct foreign policy. India should not even think of supporting the US President’s unwise decision.

Two other consequences. One, Hamas has received a political blood transfusion, so have Islamist terrorists. Is another intifada round the corner? Two, Trump has succeeded in alienating America’s European allies.

Trump, during the 2016 presidential campaign, announced that he would do what he has now done. What about his other campaign promises. Has the Mexican wall been built? Is it going to be built? Another unfulfilled promise. NATO was out of date. In other words, it was irrelevant. So far NATO has not disappeared. Nor is it likely to. Conclusion: Like John Forster Dulles (Secretary of State under President Eisenhower), Trump carries his China shop with him. The cups and plates are being destroyed.

I am an admirer of Israel and the Jewish people. The global Jewish population does not exceed 16 million. Their sufferings and achievements are facts that cannot be denied. I visited Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem in 2010 and was astounded at what the country had accomplished, converting a desert into a prosperous and plentiful state.

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The Indian media has not paid as much attention as it should have to the elections in Nepal. Its preoccupation with Gujarat is understandable. Nevertheless, we cannot be indifferent to what transpires in Nepal. As I write this, the final tally is not known, but the trend is evident. The Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist is on the way to victory. The ruling Nepali Congress is far behind. Unconfirmed reports claim that China has taken much interest in these elections. It is even suggested in some irresponsible quarters that the China provided much financial help to the communists.

Nepal is vitally important for India’s security. China is all over the mountain country. Vast amounts have been poured in aid. A strong and united China has generally been expansionist. I have little doubt that South Block is monitoring (not interfering) the Nepali elections which are the final step in the country’s transition to a federal democracy. The 2015 constitution “split” Nepal into seven states. This led to a serious Madhesi agitation. I hope that the outcome of these elections would be accepted by all the people of the country. The alternative would be a political chaos. 

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I, in my official capacity, had visited all SAARC countries — Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka —, 

but not the Maldives. Last Friday, China and the Maldives signed a free-trade deal. Twelve other agreements were signed in the presence of President Abdulla Yameen and President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

For us this closeness between faraway China and the Maldives does not bode well. The Indian Ocean, which is called an Indian sphere of influence, needs perpetual vigilance on our part.

In Beijing, President Yameen said he viewed China “among our closest friends, most trusted and most dependable partners”.  In time the Maldives will become China’s partner in building the 21st century “Maritime Silk Road.” We better watch out.