BICOM

The US President yesterday signed a presidential waiver to delay the relocation of the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

President Donald Trump had made an election promise to move the embassy, but yesterday’s decision conforms to conventional US policy on this issue. The waiver has been signed by every US president since 1995, and is valid for six months at a time. The latest waiver was due to expire on 1 June.

The White House issued a statement saying that “no one should consider this step to be in any way a retreat from the President’s strong support for Israel and for the United States-Israel alliance”.

The statement added that President Trump “made this decision to maximise the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians,” and that “the question is not if that move happens, but only when”.

During their private meeting last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Trump not to sign the waiver. According to a senior Israeli official, the Prime Minister told President Trump that Israel was interested in having the US Embassy moved and that he did not think it would cause deterioration in the security situation in the West Bank.

In response to yesterday’s decision by President Trump, the Prime Minister’s Office said that keeping the embassy in Tel Aviv “drives peace further away by helping keep alive the Palestinian fantasy that the Jewish people and the Jewish state have no connection to Jerusalem”.

The Prime Minister’s Office added that although it is disappointed the embassy will not be moved at this time, it appreciates “Trump’s friendship to Israel and his commitment to moving the embassy in the future”.

Also in response to President Trump’s decision not to move the embassy, Palestinian Authority spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that it was an “important, positive step”.