Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics

by Tim Marshall

In December 2017 President Trump said the USA would now recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Congress had supported such a policy back in 1995 and voted for funds to move the US embassy. However, Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama all signed waivers every six months postponing the move and Trump had been following suit before abruptly changing his mind. The embassy was officially relocated in March 2018. The White House suggested it was still being impartial in the Palestine/Israel dispute and that this was simply a recognition of the obvious. It also said the move did not rule out East Jerusalem becoming the capital of a Palestinian state one day. It wasn’t seen that way by the Palestinians; to many it was confirmation of decades of suspicions that the USA favoured Israel, especially when, in early 2019, Trump also recognised Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights. But it was notable that although the Arab world condemned both actions, it quickly moved on.