Washington’s role as a protector of Europe’s security and economic interests, set out by George C. Marshall 70 years ago, has begun to crumble, Mr. Gabriel argued. Mr. Gabriel, President Emmanuel Macron of France and other world leaders have warned the Trump administration that such a shift on Jerusalem could reverberate throughout the Middle East and set back attempts for peace. “A solution to the Jerusalem problem can only come through direct negotiations between the two parties,” Mr. Gabriel said. But they also highlighted a vacuum of leadership among the once-tightly knit phalanx of like-minded Western nations, as the United States increasingly appears to be jettisoning that role. As the United States withdraws, no one has looked to Europe to fill the void, Mr. Gabriel said.

Source: New York Times December 05, 2017 18:43 UTC