Today, eight years ago, on May 14, 2018, exactly 70 years after prime minister David Ben-Gurion declared Israel’s independence, the American flag was raised above the United States’ new embassy in Jerusalem.
For many around the world, it was just another symbolic move. For Israel, it was an achievement of far deeper diplomatic and historical significance.
It was proof that the path to stability does not pass through denying Israel’s sovereign reality in Jerusalem, but through recognizing it. This was also a victory of faith in the justice of our cause over the fear of international isolation.
For many years, Israel was told that recognizing Jerusalem as its capital would harm regional stability, undermine relations with the Arab world, and lead to escalation.
But in practice, the opposite occurred. Moderate Arab states did not sever ties with Israel, the Abraham Accords emerged shortly afterward, and Israel’s regional and international standing only grew stronger.
Correcting a longstanding historical distortion
The embassy move also constituted a correction of a longstanding historical distortion. For thousands of years, Jerusalem has been the heart of Jewish national identity.
No other nation or religion established it as its capital, and no other people carried its name in their prayers, memory, and national consciousness as the Jewish people did.
But the central lesson of that day is not only historical. It is diplomatic.
It is impossible to build peace on the foundations of falsehood. Diplomatic truth is not an obstacle to peace, but a prerequisite for it.
For decades, American presidents repeatedly postponed implementing the law to move the embassy to Jerusalem, believing that diplomatic ambiguity would help advance a solution.
Breaking the mold for a better tomorrow
US President Donald Trump chose to break this conception when he understood that postponing the decision did not advance peace, but preserved an illusion.
And therefore, with his realist worldview, Trump concluded at the time that “old challenges demand new approaches.”
In Israel, it is also important to remember the element of courage in this decision. President Trump chose to make a decision that many in Washington had warned against for decades.
Nevertheless, history proved that recognizing the truth strengthened stability rather than weakened it.
On this day, we here in Israel remember our friendly leaders not only for their warm words but also for their courageous decisions that have been etched into the history of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
The lesson Israel must remember remains clear even today: Nations respect people who respect themselves.
Foreign policy is not built only on diplomatic phrasing, but on a national backbone. When Israel stood clearly for its right to Jerusalem, it discovered that the world does not respect weakness or hesitation, but consistency, strength, and faith in the justice of one’s cause.
Israel succeeded precisely because it refused to apologize for its very existence and for its capital.
In the world in general, and in the Middle East in particular, it is impossible to build peace on an ambiguity designed to preserve an illusion.
Whoever seeks to appease by blurring historical truth does not bring a solution closer, but prolongs the life of the lie.
In contrast, leadership that connects historical truth with courageous diplomatic decision-making is what changes the boundaries of the possible and brings sustainable solutions closer.
The writer is the deputy chairman of the Institute for Security Policy of the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF) and served as a policy adviser to former strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer.