The US will formally move its Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, this Monday 14th May. The move follows US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December.
The US administration declared that it would open its Jerusalem embassy in May 2018 to overlap with the 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence.
US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin will be leading a 250 person strong delegation, including around 40 politicians, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt.
Since President Trump’s decision, leaders of a number of other countries have announced plans or expressed interest in relocating their embassies to Jerusalem, including Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, the Czech Republic, and Romania.
President Trump’s announcement in December prompted violent protests and threats of violence in the Palestinian Territories and across the Muslim world.
Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel since it was founded in 1948 and holds a unique status for the nation, as the religious, national and cultural centre of the Jewish people for 3,000 years.
The status of Jerusalem is the single most contentious point in any peace negotiations, due to its importance to both Palestinians and Israelis.
