President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a six-month waiver that will keep the U.S. Embassy in Israel in Tel Aviv, at least temporarily backing down from a controversial campaign promise, according to White House officials.
The waiver to the Jerusalem Embassy Act ― the 1995 U.S. law that declared Jerusalem Israel’s capital and required that the American embassy be officially relocated there ― was set to expire on June 2. Since the law’s adoption, every president has signed the recurring waiver.
Trump had vowed during the presidential campaign to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem “fairly quickly” after taking office, a promise welcomed by many of his supporters, including the new U.S. ambassador to Israel and the country’s government.
The president had already cast doubts over an immediate move in recent months, and a little over four months after the inauguration, Trump appears to have decided the move would complicate his diplomatic efforts in the region.
Palestinians and Israelis both consider Jerusalem their capital, but moving the embassy would be seen as an acknowledgement that the Trump administration is siding with Israel.
Source: President Trump Signs Waiver Barring Move Of U.S. Embassy In Israel To Jerusalem | HuffPost
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