To the editor:

Re "Buoyed by Donald Trump Win, Jerusalem Mayor Hopes to Get U.S. Embassy," the current situation in which the American embassy is not located in Jerusalem is clearly absurd. Nowhere else is an American embassy located outside the host country's capital. Compounding the absurdity is the existence of an American consulate in Jerusalem, a consulate which actually refuses to serve Israelis!

The argument that placing the American embassy where it belongs, in Israel's capital, would prejudice future negotiations is baseless. In the unlikely event that the Palestinian Arabs ever seriously negotiated, an agreement was reached which redivided Jerusalem and the American embassy happened to be in a location given to the Arabs, the compound would instantly become the American embassy to the Palestinian Arab state and the United States would build a new embassy to Israel. This would actually benefit the Palestinians at the expense of Israel.

The real problem is that the Palestinian Arabs still cling to the dream of destroying Israel. By appeasing them, we help perpetuate that dream to the detriment of all.

Sincerely,
Alan Stein