Reports by Israeli media claim that US President Donald Trump is planning to announce in the coming days that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, while evaluating whether he could avoid signing a waiver that effectively delays moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The reports further assert that due to domestic political considerations, primarily stemming from reinvigorated pressure by the Republican party and Evangelical Christians, President Trump seeks to avoid holding-back on his promise to relocate the American Embassy to Jerusalem, warry of political ramifications. The reports also cite Vice President Mike Pence, during his address at a United Nations ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Resolution 181 that ended the British mandate – which laid the ground work for the establishment of a Jewish state. The American Vice President revealed during his speech that contrary to reports, President Donald Trump was considering when and how to move the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Nevertheless, following a TV7 inquiry into the matter, White House officials explicitly stressed that the Israeli reports on a decision by President Trump to move the embassy to Jerusalem were premature. One of the officials reiterated earlier statements, in which the Trump Administration was evaluating the matter on a regular basis, as it views the relocation of the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem as a valid and necessary move, yet, “President Trump wants to give a renewed attempt to reignite a long-stalled peace process between Israel and the Palestinians a real chance, and seeks to avoid any counterproductive actions.”
Meanwhile, King Abdullah of Jordan warned members of the United States Congress during a meeting in Washington that moving the embassy to Jerusalem at this stage would have implications for Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims. The Jordanian King further warned that such a move would threaten an aspired two-state solution, and that it could be potentially exploited by Islamist-terrorists. King Abdullah further said that he believed that the US administration could move the embassy in the future as part of a comprehensive solution that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.