President Trump’s decision not to immediately move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem is “deeply disappointing,” a House Republican lawmaker said Thursday.
“Israel is the only nation in the world where an American embassy is not located in its chosen capital city,” said Florida Rep. Ron DeSantis, a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. “It is long past time that we rectify this error and locate our embassy in Jerusalem and it is deeply disappointing that the president has decided not to do so.”
Trump promised to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move that would have angered the Arab world by signaling American support for the idea of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 war, when Arab armies mobilizing against the Israelis were defeated by a surprise pre-emptive strike. The Palestinian Authority wants East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, so the status of Jerusalem has remained contested in diplomatic circles despite the military victory.
An act of Congress called for the relocation of the U.S. embassy during Bill Clinton’s presidency, but every president since that law’s passage has invoked a waiver authorized by the law to delay the move. The White House said waiving it would boost the prospects of a peace deal, which Trump has also been seeking.
“President Trump made this decision to maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, fulfilling his solemn obligation to defend America’s national security interests,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday. “But, as he has repeatedly stated his intention to move the embassy, the question is not if that move happens, but only when.”
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GOP lawmaker: "Deeply disappointing" Trump didn't move embassy to Jerusalem https://t.co/I0pXjrsVLg pic.twitter.com/159sNXrKiB
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) June 1, 2017
Trump just got played . . . By the Palestinians https://t.co/txTwkdvJnM
— David French (@DavidAFrench) June 1, 2017
Statement by the Prime Minister's Office pic.twitter.com/xP1FZ1vrZf
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 1, 2017
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." The Capital of Israel 'Should Not Be A Bargaining Chip' – https://t.co/9GAQ3xUGGx https://t.co/kt5zxKTgIH
— Jerry A. Johnson (@DrJerryJohnson) June 1, 2017
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