As of Trump’s unilateral declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel, the threat of a wider war is now much greater than with North Korea. So says Patrick Lawrence foreign affairs columnist for salon.com and The Nation. The idea that the Palestinians would suddenly back down because of the increased pressure from Trump and Netanyahu is absurd. How much is Trump influenced by both the Israel lobby in Washington and the religious-political extremists who are determined to bring  The Rapture, Armageddon, the End Times, to Jerusalem the place of the prophesy in the Book of Revelations. How drastic is this change for America? And what is a nation, really? Is the traditional role of the US as neutral party and mediator totally gone now?