It was the great William Blake who wrote the poem, Jerusalem, that became the song with the great music, of Sir Hubert Parry. It, despite, or because of, it's title, is considered a sort of unofficial national anthem of England. The sentiment of this, not so much, sentimental, as soulful, song, is the seeking to build a Jerusalem, on , as the song , sings, " England's green and pleasant land." It is not in that land, my land, that this song is sung, full on . It is not in middle England, but in the Middle East.
The decision to go, where no man has dared go before, to borrow a phrase from Star Trek, to Jerusalem, with the US embassy, does not turn the wretched presidency of Trump, into the Star - ship Enterprise, on a voyage of discovery, nor President Trump into Captain Kirk, but it does, like so much else from this odd leadership, present dangers and fears of a Final Frontier ! But we must steady the ship and navigate a better course.
What the issue of the Jerusalem decision reveals, is that diplomacy is an art form that, like any art form, Trump can talk about but not practice. The man whose name is on ,The Art of the deal, a book , he is meant to have created, was not the one who wrote this well known ghost written effort ,at big business, bravado, boasting! He might be better off getting his presidency ghost written too.
A suitable candidate for that role, would be the late great President Kennedy. He could actually write ,and think too, which is another acomplishment the current incumbent has yet to prove he can master. It was Kennedy who , like Churchill's Nobel Prize, which was for literature, not peace, won the Pulitzer Prize, for his war time memoir, Profiles in Courage. It was of course, Kennedy , who also led the world to travel a New Frontier. Trump could definitely benefit from a ghost writer, such as Kennedy, for his decision making. As we are in the centenary year, of the birth of the president, who was for a brief shining moment, King in Camelot, and, as we approach the centenary year of the birth of Alan Jay Lerner, the great lyricist, a man of liberal mind and politics, too, who penned that musical and song, it is worth considering, songs, whether of Camelot or Jerusalem, are, like laws, like many things that are created ,with effort, or artistry, created for a reason.
That Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel, is not the issue. It is that it is considered to also be that, by many Palestinians. It is also considered to be a shrine or symbol, for many Christians. It is thus unique.The Israelis, whether Jewish, Muslim, or Christian, of course have long ago understood these as reasons to proceed with caution. But caution is not a word that Trump knows, any better, than his political lookalike, "Bibi" the Israeli prime minister, though the latter has at least, a track record, of government and attempts, albeit half hearted, at diplomacy. Many who care about the wellbeing and peace of Israel, might indeed care to proceed with more caution. Anything that is a gift to controversy of this sort is no gift to Israel.
The wiser heads and counsel have prevailed in both the US and Israel, in the acceptance of the importance, of the role of Jerusalem, and in their response, and responsible solution of sorts. It is to emphasise Tel Aviv. There may not be many songs written about Tel Aviv, but there are sometimes reasons when being sensible is even more important than being, lyrical, or, musical.
It is not rocket science. Which is why Trump looks so poor trying to be ...Captain Kirk.
Author : LORENZO CHERIN