McCain calls for Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Image John McCain earned himself headlines in Israel today when he said, “I support Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.” Professing support for Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, though it is not internationally recognized as such, has become a time-honored political tradition for U.S. presidents and would-be presidents. Since the Jerusalem Embassy ...
MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Image
John McCain earned himself headlines in Israel today when he said, "I support Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."
Professing support for Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, though it is not internationally recognized as such, has become a time-honored political tradition for U.S. presidents and would-be presidents. Since the Jerusalem Embassy Act passed Congress in 1995, moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem has been the official policy of the United States. And yet, every six months, the president signs a waiver that says, "[My] Administration remains committed to beginning the process of moving our embassy to Jerusalem." It never happens, for the obvious reason that the move would cause an uproar in the Arab world. Last year, El Salvador and Costa Rica became the last coutries to move their embassies to Tel Aviv, even though the Knesset and the prime minister's offices are located an hour's drive away in Jerusalem. I doubt a President McCain would upend the status quo, notwithstanding his suggestive comments today.
John McCain earned himself headlines in Israel today when he said, “I support Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”
Professing support for Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, though it is not internationally recognized as such, has become a time-honored political tradition for U.S. presidents and would-be presidents. Since the Jerusalem Embassy Act passed Congress in 1995, moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem has been the official policy of the United States. And yet, every six months, the president signs a waiver that says, “[My] Administration remains committed to beginning the process of moving our embassy to Jerusalem.” It never happens, for the obvious reason that the move would cause an uproar in the Arab world. Last year, El Salvador and Costa Rica became the last coutries to move their embassies to Tel Aviv, even though the Knesset and the prime minister’s offices are located an hour’s drive away in Jerusalem. I doubt a President McCain would upend the status quo, notwithstanding his suggestive comments today.
More from Foreign Policy


Is Cold War Inevitable?
A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.


So You Want to Buy an Ambassadorship
The United States is the only Western government that routinely rewards mega-donors with top diplomatic posts.


Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?
Why Beijing’s foreign-policy reset will—or won’t—work out.


Turkey’s Problem Isn’t Sweden. It’s the United States.
Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.