The US embassy in Israel will remain in Tel Aviv as of now and will not move to Jerusalem. High-ranking officials in the US administration revealed that President Donald Trump intends to sign an order this evening, postponing the move by yet another six months. The officials noted, however, that the American president would still like to move the embassy to Jerusalem as he had pledged during his election campaign, but that he believes that this is not the right time, in view of the efforts to re-start the long-stalled negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
This is the second time in which President Trump signed a postponing order for the Jerusalem Embassy Act, an American law that was passed in 1995 by the 104thCongress for the purpose of initiating and funding the relocation of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The decision by President Trump to hold back on his promise raises pessimism among Israel’s leadership, with Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Zeev Elkin stressed that “The voices coming from the White House don’t leave much room for optimism.”