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Trump Opts Not to Move Embassy to Jerusalem, at Least for Now Donald Trump Won’t Move Embassy to Jerusalem, at Least for Now
(about 5 hours later)
WASHINGTON — President Trump signed an order keeping the American Embassy in Tel Aviv rather than moving it to Jerusalem as he promised during last year’s campaign, aides said Thursday, disappointing many Israel supporters in hopes of preserving his chances of negotiating a peace settlement.WASHINGTON — President Trump signed an order keeping the American Embassy in Tel Aviv rather than moving it to Jerusalem as he promised during last year’s campaign, aides said Thursday, disappointing many Israel supporters in hopes of preserving his chances of negotiating a peace settlement.
Aides said that the decision was just a delay and that he still planned to eventually move the embassy to Jerusalem when conditions were right, although past presidents have said the same without ever acting. The White House said in a statement that Mr. Trump’s move should not be considered “a retreat from the president’s strong support for Israel” and its alliance with the United States. Aides said the decision was just a delay and that he still planned to move the embassy to Jerusalem when conditions were right, although past presidents have said the same without ever acting. In a statement issued by the White House, officials said that Mr. Trump’s move should not be considered “a retreat from the president’s strong support for Israel” and its alliance with the United States.
“President Trump made this decision to maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, fulfilling his solemn obligation to defend America’s national security interest,” the statement said. “But, as he has repeatedly stated his intention to move the embassy, the question is not if that happens, but only when.”“President Trump made this decision to maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, fulfilling his solemn obligation to defend America’s national security interest,” the statement said. “But, as he has repeatedly stated his intention to move the embassy, the question is not if that happens, but only when.”
Mr. Trump made no mention of his pending decision during a visit to Jerusalem just last week and waited to announce it until almost the last minute he could under law, underscoring the deep political sensitivity of the matter. The order he signed waives for six months a congressional edict requiring the embassy be in Jerusalem, meaning he will have to consider the matter again by Dec. 1. Mr. Trump made no mention of his pending decision during a visit to Jerusalem just last week and waited to announce it until almost the last minute he could under law, demonstrating the deep political sensitivity of a city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians. The order waives for six months a congressional edict requiring the embassy be located in Jerusalem, meaning he will have to consider the matter again by Dec. 1.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who has nurtured a close relationship with Mr. Trump, offered only modest regret for the decision publicly. “Though Israel is disappointed that the embassy will not move at this time, we appreciate today’s expression of President Trump’s friendship to Israel and his commitment to moving the embassy in the future,” his office said in a statement.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who has nurtured a close relationship with Mr. Trump, offered only modest regret for the decision publicly. “Though Israel is disappointed that the embassy will not move at this time, we appreciate today’s expression of President Trump’s friendship to Israel and his commitment to moving the embassy in the future,” his office said in a statement.
The decision is Mr. Trump’s latest shift away from campaign positions upending traditional foreign policy as the president spends more time in office and learns more about the trade-offs involved. He has reversed himself on declaring China a currency manipulator, backed off plans to lift sanctions against Russia, declared that NATO is not “obsolete” after all, opted for now not to rip up President Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran and ordered a punitive strike against Syria that he previously opposed in similar circumstances. Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Authority representative in the United States, welcomed the decision, saying it cleared away one obstacle to negotiations. “This is in line with the long held U.S. policy and the international consensus and it gives peace a chance,” he said.
At the same time, the Jerusalem decision came just hours before Mr. Trump was scheduled to announce his decision on whether to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate change accord reached by Mr. Obama. If he does withdraw, as aides have said, he will fulfill a key campaign promise to supporters who worry that the pact will damage the United States economy, but he will alienate many longtime American allies in Europe and Asia that have invested in the agreement. The decision is Mr. Trump’s latest shift away from campaign positions upending traditional foreign policy as the president spends more time in office and learns more about the trade-offs involved. He has reversed himself on declaring China a currency manipulator, backed off plans to lift sanctions against Russia, declared that NATO was not “obsolete” after all, opted for now not to rip up President Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran and ordered a punitive strike against Syria that he previously opposed in similar circumstances.
At the same time, the Jerusalem decision came just hours before Mr. Trump announced his decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate change accord reached by Mr. Obama. In doing so, he fulfilled a campaign promise to supporters worried that the pact would damage the United States economy, but he alienated longtime allies in Europe and Asia that have invested in the agreement.
In the case of the embassy, Mr. Trump may dishearten powerful supporters like Sheldon Adelson, the Las Vegas casino magnate and Republican donor who is close to Mr. Netanyahu and owns a newspaper in Israel. Some hard-line Israel backers have privately expressed concern that Mr. Trump has not lived up to his campaign pledges because he has been seduced into thinking he may reach the “ultimate deal” that has eluded every other president.In the case of the embassy, Mr. Trump may dishearten powerful supporters like Sheldon Adelson, the Las Vegas casino magnate and Republican donor who is close to Mr. Netanyahu and owns a newspaper in Israel. Some hard-line Israel backers have privately expressed concern that Mr. Trump has not lived up to his campaign pledges because he has been seduced into thinking he may reach the “ultimate deal” that has eluded every other president.
Mr. Trump began backing away from his promise to move the embassy shortly after taking office when King Abdullah II of Jordan flew to Washington without a White House invitation to buttonhole the new president at a prayer breakfast and explain what he viewed as the consequences. The king warned that a precipitous move would touch off a possibly violent backlash among Arabs, all but quashing any hopes of bringing the two sides together. Mr. Trump began backing away from his promise to move the embassy shortly after taking office, swayed in part by King Abdullah II of Jordan, who rushed to Washington without a White House invitation to buttonhole the new president at a prayer breakfast. The king warned that a precipitous move would touch off a possibly violent backlash among Arabs, all but quashing hopes of bringing the two sides together.
“There is likely to be a collective sigh of relief by Arab leaders, the Europeans, the State Department and the intelligence community,” said Khaled Elgindy, a former adviser to Palestinian leaders now at the Brookings Institution. “While there is likely to be some backlash from his conservative base, especially evangelical voters, the fact that Trump is now personally invested in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking may be something of an insurance policy against his having a change of heart further down the road.” Mr. Trump has also urged Mr. Netanyahu to hold off on provocative housing construction in the West Bank pending peace talks. But the president pleased many in Mr. Netanyahu’s right-leaning coalition by abandoning automatic support for a Palestinian state unless both sides agree.
Dan Shapiro, an American ambassador to Israel under Mr. Obama, said moving the embassy now “does not make sense” given Mr. Trump’s interest in peace talks. But Mr. Shapiro said he agreed that the embassy ultimately does belong in Jerusalem and that Mr. Trump still could make it happen if handled right.
“If they plan it smartly, coordinate the timing with key parties, and ensure that its placement in West Jerusalem reinforces, rather than undermines, the ability to achieve a two-state solution, they can still mark this accomplishment before the end of the president’s term,” said Mr. Shapiro, a senior visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
Mr. Trump has also urged Mr. Netanyahu to hold off on provocative housing construction in the West Bank pending peace talks, despite appointing David M. Friedman, a staunch supporter of such settlements and an embassy move, as his ambassador to Israel. But the president pleased many in Mr. Netanyahu’s right-leaning coalition by abandoning automatic support for a Palestinian state unless both sides agree.
Anticipating that Mr. Trump would back off the embassy move, some in Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition had hoped that the president at least would say during his trip last week that Jerusalem was Israel’s capital, but he did not do that.Anticipating that Mr. Trump would back off the embassy move, some in Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition had hoped that the president at least would say during his trip last week that Jerusalem was Israel’s capital, but he did not do that.
Mr. Trump did visit the Western Wall, the holiest Jewish prayer site in the country, becoming the first sitting American president to do so — an act that some interpreted as indirect recognition since the wall is in a part of the city that Israel took control of during the 1967 war. Mr. Trump did visit the Western Wall, the holiest Jewish prayer site in the country, becoming the first sitting American president to do so — an act that some interpreted as indirect recognition since the wall is in a part of the city that Israel took control of during its 1967 war with Arab neighbors.
By the time Mr. Trump signed the waiver, Israeli officials had already assumed he would and sought to discount its significance on Thursday. “We’ve waited 69 years, we will wait 70 years,” said Yoav Galant, the Israeli minister of housing. By the time Mr. Trump signed the waiver, Israeli officials had already assumed he would and sought to discount its significance on Thursday. “We’ve waited 69 years, we will wait 70 years,” said Yoav Galant, the Israeli minister of housing. Tzachi Hanegbi, another minister, called it a “marginal” issue that had to do with “real estate,” and that Mr. Trump had made a “resonant statement” with his visit to the Western Wall.
Tzachi Hanegbi, a minister from the governing Likud Party, told Israel Radio on Thursday, before the official White House announcement, that the embassy move was a “marginal” issue that had to do with “real estate,” and that Mr. Trump had made a “resonant statement” with his visit to the Western Wall. But Naftali Bennett, a leader of a pro-settlement party within Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition, said delaying the embassy move would actually damage the prospects for peace by fostering Palestinians’ false hope that they would gain control of East Jerusalem. “Only recognizing a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty will end illusions and pave the way to a sustainable peace with our neighbors,” he said.
The embassy question has assumed enormous symbolic significance over the years. The United Nations once proposed that Jerusalem be an international city, but after Israel declared statehood in 1948, it took control of the western portion of the city while Jordan seized the eastern side. During its 1967 war with Arab neighbors, Israel wrested away control of East Jerusalem and annexed it. The embassy question has assumed enormous symbolic significance over the years. The United Nations once proposed that Jerusalem be an international city, but after Israel declared statehood in 1948, it took control of western Jerusalem while Jordan seized the eastern side. During the 1967 war, Israel wrested control of East Jerusalem and annexed it. Since then it has vowed that Jerusalem would never be divided again, even as it built housing in eastern sections for Jewish residents.
Over the 50 years since then, Israel has declared that Jerusalem is its eternal capital and would never be divided again, even as it has built more housing in the eastern parts of the city intended for Jewish residents over the objections of the Palestinians and much of the international community. Most of its main institutions of government are based in Jerusalem. Like every other country with a diplomatic presence in Israel, the United States has its embassy in Tel Aviv to avoid seeming to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital at the expense of Palestinians who also claim it as the capital of a future state of their own. Like Mr. Trump, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both promised to move the embassy as presidential candidates only to drop the idea in office.
Like every other country with a diplomatic presence in Israel, the United States has kept its embassy in Tel Aviv to avoid seeming to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital at the expense of Palestinians who also claim it as the capital of a future state of their own. The United States does have a consulate in Jerusalem that mainly deals with Palestinians but could be converted on a temporary basis into an embassy until a permanent site is found and a full-fledged facility constructed. In 1995, Congress passed a law requiring the embassy to be moved to Jerusalem by 1999 or else the State Department’s building budget would be cut in half. But lawmakers allowed the president to waive the law for six months, so every six months since 1999, Mr. Clinton, Mr. Bush, Mr. Obama and now Mr. Trump have signed such waivers.
Like Mr. Trump, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both promised to move the embassy as presidential candidates only to drop the idea once they got into office. In 1995, Congress passed a law requiring the embassy to be moved to Jerusalem by 1999 or else the State Department’s building budget would be cut in half.
But lawmakers included a provision allowing a president to waive the law for six months if determined to be in the national interest. So every six months since 1999, Mr. Clinton, Mr. Bush, Mr. Obama and now Mr. Trump have signed such waivers.
Mr. Trump had promised that he would be different and presented himself as the best friend Israel would ever have in the Oval Office. During the campaign, he said he would move the embassy “fairly quickly” and on the eve of his inauguration reiterated his commitment by telling an Israeli journalist, “You know I’m not a person who breaks promises.”Mr. Trump had promised that he would be different and presented himself as the best friend Israel would ever have in the Oval Office. During the campaign, he said he would move the embassy “fairly quickly” and on the eve of his inauguration reiterated his commitment by telling an Israeli journalist, “You know I’m not a person who breaks promises.”
But he has become enamored of the idea that he, unlike all of his predecessors, could be the one to finally negotiate a permanent peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians, and he was persuaded that an embassy move would hinder that. The president has assigned Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, and Jason Greenblatt, his former personal lawyer, to lead the peace efforts. But he has become enamored of the idea that he, unlike all of his predecessors, could be the one to finally negotiate a permanent peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians, and he was persuaded that an embassy move would hinder that.
Khaled Elgindy, a former adviser to Palestinian leaders who is now at the Brookings Institution, said there would be “a collective sigh of relief” among Arab leaders and others invested in peace talks. “While there is likely to be some backlash from his conservative base, especially evangelical voters, the fact that Trump is now personally invested in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking may be something of an insurance policy against his having a change of heart further down the road,” he said.
Dan Shapiro, an American ambassador to Israel under Mr. Obama, said moving the embassy now “does not make sense” given Mr. Trump’s interest in peace talks. But Mr. Shapiro said he agreed that the embassy ultimately did belong in Jerusalem and that Mr. Trump still could make it happen if handled right.
“If they plan it smartly, coordinate the timing with key parties, and ensure that its placement in West Jerusalem reinforces, rather than undermines, the ability to achieve a two-state solution, they can still mark this accomplishment before the end of the president’s term,” said Mr. Shapiro, a senior visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.