Of course Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. It always was.

Whatever motivation U.S. President Donald Trump had for officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, it was merely an acknowledgment of what had been a fact for nearly seven decades.

Perhaps it was a result of a genuine conviction. Or, more likely, it was some sort of an act of defiance on Trump’s part or a gesture that he felt would go over well with a segment of his political base. Regardless, though, the announcement actually changes very little. Israel’s parliament, supreme court, and much else of its official government apparatus are already located in Jerusalem. It’s not as though Trump has granted permission for Israel to relocate its capital — it’s long been there.

Let’s not kid ourselves, though, this is a monumental decision, and there will be repercussions. I have a very low level of confidence that Trump comprehends or cares about the potential consequences of his decision, or that he’s equipped to deal with the diplomatic fallout.

Furthermore, with Trump having allowed relations with some more traditional American allies to deteriorate, it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to rally much support for this policy. Certainly, the one regime he has tried to foster better ties with — the one in Moscow — isn’t likely to get on board with this.

WATCH: Rally in Toronto to protest Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

1:21 Rally held in Toronto to protest Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

So it may well be that this is the right announcement made by precisely the wrong president. Let’s hope not.

But let’s also recall that this American president was preceded by others who had promised to do the very same thing, yet failed to follow through. Even the U.S. Congress, in a strong show of bipartisan support, passed a law in 1995 calling on the U.S. embassy to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

We should also keep in mind that most decisions made by the U.S. or countries like Canada that are seen to favour Israel’s position are also met with anger and violence. That should not deter us from doing the right thing or even determining what the right thing is in the first place.

With regard to this decision, the most angry and violent reactions are likely to come from those who would deny any Israeli claim to Jerusalem and would instead prefer to “liberate” the city from the Jews altogether. If we’re looking to label things as “obstacles to peace,” there’s an obvious one right there.

There is a deep and meaningful religious and historic connection between Jews and Jerusalem that goes back some 3,000 years. The importance of this cannot be overlooked, and we can not achieve any sort of meaningful and lasting peace without recognizing this.

But of course, there really isn’t any “peace process” to speak of at the moment, and that certainly underscores the fact that we don’t have much to show for our decades of not recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

WATCH BELOW: 

0:29 Rex Tillerson says Jerusalem’s final status to be decided by Israelis, Palestinians

• Rex Tillerson says Jerusalem’s final status to be decided by Israelis, Palestinians
• Palestinians protest polarizing Jerusalem decision
• U.S. ‘pulled the pin on a bomb’ with Jerusalem decision: Turkey
• Trump’s decision merely recognizes ‘reality’ that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital: Tillerson
• Canada will not move embassy in Israel to Jerusalem: Trudeau
• UN chief: ‘no alternative to two-state solution’ after U.S. Jerusalem decision

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It should also be noted that this in no way closes the door on a future Palestinian state having its capital in East Jerusalem. As Trump himself declared: “We are not taking a position on any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem or the resolution of contested borders.”

So if and when we do have a “peace process” to speak of, this issue can and should be on the table. In fact, it could also be argued that if Israel has assurances about Jerusalem’s status, and a genuine belief that the U.S. has its interests at heart, it may be far more willing to make other significant concessions toward peace.

But there’s no escaping the fact that Israel’s capital is — and always will be — Jerusalem.

Rob Breakenridge is host of “Afternoons with Rob Breakenridge” on Calgary’s NewsTalk 770 and a commentator for Global News.