"I have not seen anything from the administration that suggests that the peace process is moving forward," Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said of the Trump administration's work on Middle East peace. | AP Photo Trump 'has no appreciation for diplomacy,' Cardin says

President Donald Trump “has no appreciation for diplomacy,” Sen. Ben Cardin said Sunday, attacking the president’s process on recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel while adding that it was ultimately the correct step to take.

"I think the announcement itself was not anything that is news. But what the president should have done is done it in the right diplomatic way. And there I think he did not,” Cardin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told ABC’s “This Week.” “I think that was a mistake, the manner in which he did it. But clearly Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.”


The Maryland Democrat lamented that Trump’s Wednesday announcement that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and begin the process of moving its embassy there from Tel Aviv has not been packaged with some other advancement in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, either in the form of concessions from the Israelis or incentives for the Palestinians.

The status of Jerusalem has long been a sticking point for both parties, and the U.S. has historically sought to avoid taking sides on the issue.

East Jerusalem, which includes the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock, was annexed by Israel from Jordan in 1967 and has been administered by it ever since. Palestinians would almost certainly seek to name East Jerusalem as their capital as part of any two-state peace agreement.

Trump’s announcement Wednesday was met almost unanimously with a chilly reception from U.S. allies and partners, save Israel itself, which has long sought recognition of Jerusalem as its capital. The move sparked violence and protests from Palestinians, whose leaders warned that the step would significantly erode the chances for peace.

Cardin was skeptical, though, that peace efforts had been dealt a serious blow, but only because he believed them to be anemic even before Trump’s announcement.

“It's hard to have a step back to the peace process that is not moving forward as we're speaking. There's been no progress in peace for some months. We need to get the peace process moving forward,” he said.

“I think there was a way of doing that. And in regards to this announcement, I have not seen anything from the administration that suggests that the peace process is moving forward.”

