When U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the country was now going to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the reactions were mixed. In Israel, citizens celebrated as they see this as being long overdue. However, in Palestine, it is being viewed as the end of any kind of peaceful negotiation on the ownership of the holy city.
Israel immediately stepped up their military presence in the region as it became clear that not everyone was going to be happy about the news.
Protesters have already begun clashing with security, throwing rocks and engaging physically.
The potential for real violence has never been higher in the disputed region.
Following a familiar script
It is a scene reminiscent of the Arab spring uprisings several years ago. Protesters clash with police as they feel that they are being oppressed and have run out of options. Eventually, the violence escalates until the uprising is either crushed decisively, or war breaks out. It is hard to forget that this is how the war in Syria, that is still raging, began.
All it takes in a scenario like this is for other regional foes to back the Palestinians against Israel.
There is no shortage of enemies in the area as Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran and even Russia may be inclined to throw their support behind Palestine. One thing all of these adversaries have in common is that their recent involvement in Syria's civil war has strengthened all of their armies greatly.
The domino effect
This is where things get really scary.
If the recent developments do lead to violence, there is no telling where it will end. Palestinians already feel like they have nothing to lose as they waited patiently for peace to give them the result they wanted. Now that the opposite has happened, many feel ready to die for what they believe in. If Israel and Palestine do go to war, the joining parties on both sides could lead us to World War Three.
Hezbollah is the most likely to jump in first, as they have probably benefited the most from the war in Syria. They were brought in to help bolster the struggling Syrian army. Eventually, it was mostly Hezbollah calling the shots on the ground and during operations. This experience has given them a battle-hardened army that feels ready to compete with Israel again. Not to mention they have stockpiled massive amounts of weapons in preparation for their next conflict.
Assuming they were to join in and start winning, the United States would be compelled to come to Israel's aid. This could draw in Syria or Iran, as the two are loyal to Hezbollah. Iran's involvement would likely be countered by Saudi Arabia, as the two are currently fighting a proxy war in Yemen.
If things go entirely south, Russia could give support to Iran. If that were to happen, then all bets are off.
President Trump may have opened a can of worms that he will be unable to close. He lit a fuse when he declared Israel as the rightful owner of Jerusalem. Moving the U.S. Embassy to the now Israeli city will only add fuel to the growing inferno.
If he has a plan, hopefully, he will reveal it in the coming months.