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Israel thanks Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as its capital by naming train station after him

President Trump subverts decades of diplomatic policy, is rewarded with having a train station named after him in the Old City.

President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, in New York. CREDIT: Evan Vucci/AP Photo.
President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, in New York. CREDIT: Evan Vucci/AP Photo.

Visitors to Jerusalem’s Western Wall will soon be disembarking at Trump Station when they go to the Old City, disputed territory between Palestinians and Israelis for decades.

Israel’s transportation minister made the announcement on Wednesday, according to The Washington Post, saying that naming the station after U.S. President Donald Trump was to honor him for his “courageous and historic decision recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel.”

That decision — announced on December 6 — amounted to the U.S. unilaterally declaring Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and ran counter to decades of U.S. policy in the region. Trump also vowed to eventually move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. So far, Guatemala is the only other country that has said it will do the same.

It was also met with international condemnation the likes of which has seldom been seen: Friends and foes alike said it was counter to America’s stated role as a neutral negotiator in the peace process, which Trump had left to his advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

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And after nearly two weeks of protests in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, the U.N. Security Council on December 18 held a vote to condemn Trump’s decision. The U.S. had to use its veto power to kill the resolution, but the writing was on the wall — all other 14 members of the council had voted against the U.S., with Ambassador Nikki Haley fuming that the vote was an “insult” that would “not be forgotten.”

She made good on that the the following day, issuing an open threat to any country that voted against the U.S. on a similar motion before the U.N. General Assembly on December 21. Haley said the U.S. would be “taking names” and Trump followed up by saying that the U.S. would withdraw aid from countries that voted against his decision.

“Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot. We don’t care,” said Trump.

Regardless of the threats, the non-binding draft resolution to nullify Trump’s decision passed by 128 votes to nine, with 35 countries abstaining.

The Trump administration started drafting its Middle East peace plan less than a month before the Jerusalem decision, according to the New York Times, with his chief negotiator telling the newspaper at the time that goal was to “facilitate, not dictate a lasting peace agreement.”