Assessment: Danny Danon, Israeli Ambassador to the UN: “It sends a signal to the Palestinians that they may one day have official status in eastern Jerusalem.”
With US President Biden’s visit to Israel coming to an end later today, the President presented his vision of the future of the peace process between Israel and the PA during a speech at Augusta Victoria Hospital in eastern Jerusalem.
Biden arrived at the location without an Israeli diplomatic representative, a move many in the Israeli political scene interpreted as a snub to the country’s sovereignty in the capital.
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. Zechariah 12:3
During the visit, Biden invoked the memory of “great Irish poets,” quoting a few lines about hope and justice “on this side of the grave” in a possible hint that he hopes to reinfuse the peace process between Israel and the PA.
The President spoke about the work nurses around the world put in to help rehabilitate sick patients, telling a story about his son recuperating following his stint in Iraq. He reminded listeners that the US and the Agency for International Development had donated $85 million to PA hospitals since 2014 and after proclaiming that, “Every person in the world deserves dignity” pledged an additional $100 million for the “Health system of the Palestinian people.”
