Pence: Trump ‘actively considering’ moving US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem
Vice President Pence said Tuesday the Trump administration is “actively considering” moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, one of the president’s core campaign promises.
“President Trump is actively considering when and how to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” Pence said during a speech in New York.
The vice president spoke at an event commemorating the 70th anniversary of the United Nations vote that led to the creation of the state of Israel.
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Pence vowed that “the days of Israel-bashing at the United Nations are over,” stressing the U.S. will stand up for the Jewish state “because her cause is our cause, her values are our values and her fight is our fight.”
During the 2016 campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Such a move would break with longstanding U.S. policy, which maintains the status of Jerusalem should be determined in peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
Despite his pledge, Trump has not yet moved the embassy. The president signed a waiver in June to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv, saying he will eventually move the embassy but wants to keep alive the possibility of peace talks.
Trump must decide next month whether he will sign the waiver again.
Pence vowed during a speech in June that Trump would eventually move the embassy.
The 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act requires the American embassy to move to Jerusalem, but every president since then has signed a six-month waiver delaying the decision.
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