Grafton – In response to President Trump’s decision to begin the process of moving the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, business executive and non-profit leader Dan Kohl issued the following statement:
“Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and has a very dear place in my heart. It pains me to see how the Administration is using Jerusalem as a political football used to score points and undermine decades of bipartisan policy rooted in America’s national security interests and our support for Israel. A cornerstone of our approach has been a two-state solution which remains essential to guaranteeing Israel’s ability to survive as a Jewish and democratic state. Instead of politicizing our national security, we should be working with our allies and Israel to help achieve a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Yesterday’s announcement has no basis in national security and came against the advice of Defense Secretary Mattis and Secretary of State Tillerson. The State Department has had to issue a worldwide warning to all our embassies in the wake of this announcement, and we’re seeing the first waves of predictable violence as a result of yesterday’s speech. Moving forward, Congress and the President must work together to make sure that we take politics out of national security.”
