State Department confirms plans to open US embassy in Jerusalem in May

The United States plans to transfer its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem on May 14. This was stated by Deputy Head of State Department Stephen Goldstein, reports USA Today.

The selected date coincides with the day when Israel declared independence in 1948.

Photo: Facebook US Embassy Tel Aviv, Israel

Goldstein noted that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson approved a security plan for the “facility” in Jerusalem.

“We are considering this as a possible date, but the safety of the Marines and other people who visit Jerusalem and work there is primary,” the deputy head of the US State Department said.

The embassy will be located in the building where the US Consulate General in Jerusalem is now. US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman will work there with a small staff, all consular operations will continue to be carried out in the same building.

It is also noted that by the end of 2019, a new embassy building will be opened, with enough space for the ambassador and his team. The current embassy building in Tel Aviv has been renamed the US consulate and most of the US diplomatic staff in Israel will continue to work there.

Recall in December, US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel began the process of moving the US embassy to this city. At the same time, the Palestinians consider East Jerusalem their territory and want to establish their capital there.

According to the Palestinian-Israeli agreements concluded in Oslo in 1993, the status of the city was to be discussed at the next stages of the peace negotiations between the parties. Israel’s right to Jerusalem was not recognized by the international community.

The US Congress decided to transfer the embassy to Jerusalem back in 1995, which formally meant the recognition of the city as the capital, but until recently the government had constantly postponed the implementation of this decision. At present, the American Embassy is located in Tel Aviv, and the Consulate General is located in Jerusalem. Embassies of all countries of the world are located in Tel Aviv.

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