[dropcap size=big]R[/dropcap]eligious groups in Los Angeles are asking for an apology from mayor Eric Garcetti after he expressed his support of the Trump administration's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a contentious partisan and geopolitical issue that ignited criticism from L.A. progressives.
In an interview with the L.A. Times that was published Sunday, the mayor said he supports Israel’s right to select its capital. “As an American, as a Jew, I’m sorry to see Israel portrayed by some leaders as a more and more partisan issue,” Garetti said at the end of a five-day trip through Israel.
Garcetti appeared to be straddling a line between supporting a two-state solution in the region and support for Israel’s claims in a decades-old territorial dispute with Palestinians, who also say Jerusalem is partly their capital.
“I support the embassy being here,” he explained. “Israel shouldn’t be the only country in the world that can’t determine where its capital will be, but there is usually a process to these things rather than what seems like an overnight, one-sided, partisan move.”