This was supported by both Democrats and Republicans and was meant to put a stop to the fiction that Jerusalem was not Israel's capital.
The law contained a process for the President to postpone the move for a period of six months at a time, if he deemed it necessary, for national security reasons.
It has been widely declared that this move of the US Embassy will cause trouble and damage the peace process. This may be true, but the peace process has been going nowhere for a long time.
The postponement of the move every six months since 1995 certainly doesn't seem to have achieved anything for lasting peace in the area.
K A Benfell
GONVILLE
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Historic capital
I am no great fan of Donald Trump but do agree with many that he is on the right track accepting Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Archaeological evidence confirms references in biblical history that Israel occupied the land well over 1000 years before Mohammed and Islam were even thought of.
Jerusalem became the capital of Israel during the time of King David around 1000 BC, and remained the capital till 70 AD when the Romans besieged and destroyed the city and temple and exiled the surviving Jews, resulting in world-wide dispersion and persecution.
Jesus warned that this would happen and said that "Jerusalem shall be trodden upon by the gentiles (non-Jews including Arabs) until the times of the gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21v24). The word "until" defines a limit to the time during which the non-Jewish nations would occupy and control Jerusalem, and implies restoration of Jewish control.
Time clearly ran out for the gentiles in June 1967 when Israel due to being attacked and her existence threatened, counter-attacked and ended up gaining control of the city, and Donald Trump is one of the few leaders of the nations who has the courage to acknowledge it, and not be intimidated by the threats of anti-Israel nations.
The "hot potato" that Jerusalem has been will probably get hotter, which will be no surprise to those who know Bible prophecy, because it is stated in Zechariah 12v3 that Jerusalem was destined to become a burdensome stone (for all nations who try to take it off Israel) resulting in terrible suffering.
Jerusalem is destined to be the vortex of the battle of Armageddon which will usher in the return of Christ at a time that is described, ironically enough, as "the last trump"!
Destruction of the planet will be averted and lasting justice, peace and goodwill will be established among the nations - a message of hope conveyed in many Christmas cards at this time of the year!
Barry Hodson
WANGANUI
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Water assurance
In response to Jim White's letter published on December 13, requesting an assurance that Whanganui's drinking water is safe, I can confirm that Whanganui District Council's water supply is safe to drink.
There is no systemic failure of the spiral welds and while all pipes fail with age, any and all pipes that do are replaced without delay.
The system is pressurised to prevent any pathogens from entering the network and, for additional safety, the water contains a managed and monitored quantity of residual chlorine for sterilisation.
An independent report by Pattle Delamore Partners titled "Community Drinking-Water Supply Assessment in Horizons Region" is now available on the Horizons website.
In reference to hardness of the water from the three bores at Kai Iwi, there is no evidence of harm. The Drinking-Water Standards for New Zealand describe hardness as an "aesthetic determinand". High hardness is associated with scale production, while low hardness may be more corrosive.
No health concerns are noted, and Whanganui Medical Officer of Health Dr Patrick O'Connor has confirmed that the public can be confident that water hardness in the Whanganui water supply is not a risk to their health.
Kym Fell
Chief Executive, Whanganui District Council
