The annual conference of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC began last night, during which US Vice President Mike Pence reaffirmed his country’s support for Israel and emphasized that even though the US Embassy in Israel has yet been moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Trump administration was “seriously considering the move.” “And under President Donald Trump, if the world knows nothing else, the world will know this: America stands with Israel.” / “And know this, after decades of simply talking about it, the president of the United States is giving serious consideration to moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” said Pence.
Israel regards Jerusalem as its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all countries to relocate their embassies to the biblical city of David, in show of support for the Jewish state. Nevertheless, with international concerns of possible violent uprisings that could destabilize the region, the international community has aligned its position on the matter, in which any final status of Jerusalem would be determined via direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. If the United States, under the Trump administration, were to relocate its embassy, it would be seen as an explicit recognition of Jerusalem belonging to Israel, potentially pre-determining the outcome of peace negotiations, a reality the Palestinian emphasize would be unacceptable as they demand east Jerusalem for their own capital of a future Palestinian state.