Trump administration ‘serious’ about moving US embassy to Jerusalem

Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat said that from conversations he’s had with those in the new US administration, he knows 'they are serious about their intentions' to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv

A view of the United States consulate complex in west Jerusalem on 23 January 2017. Jim Hollander/EPA

JERUSALEM // The mayor of Jerusalem said on Monday the Trump administration was “serious” and committed to moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Nir Barkat said that from conversations he’s had with those in the new US administration, he knows “they are serious about their intentions”.

But, he said, “an embassy cannot be moved in one day” – indicating that if and when it goes ahead, the move will take time.

Washington – like other countries – maintains its Israeli embassy in Tel Aviv. Its transfer to Jerusalem would break with the consensus of the vast majority of the international community, which does not recognise the city as Israel’s capital.

The Palestinians, who claim east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, have warned against moving the embassy.

Israel captured east Jerusalem during the 1967 war and later annexed it in a move not recognised by the international community, declaring all of the city its unified capital.

On Sunday the White House said discussions over the embassy’s possible relocation were only at the “very beginning” stages.

It came as Donald Trump spoke with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone, inviting him to visit the White House early next month.

During the conversation, they also “agreed to continue to closely consult on a range of regional issues, including addressing the threats posed by Iran”, the White House said, signalling the new administration’s tougher line on Tehran.

In addition, the White House said, “the president emphasised that peace between Israel and the Palestinians can only be negotiated directly between the two parties, and that the United States will work closely with Israel to make progress towards that goal”.

Israel approved hundreds of new settler homes in east Jerusalem on Sunday just hours before the telephone call.

“The rules of the game have changed with Donald Trump’s arrival as president,” said Jerusalem deputy mayor Meir Turjeman.

“We no longer have our hands tied as in the time of Barack Obama. Now we can finally build.”

A potentially explosive plan to unilaterally annex a large Jewish settlement in the West Bank was shelved, however, until after Mr Netanyahu and Mr Trump meet.

On Monday, a deal to evacuate a hardline Jewish outpost that has become a symbol of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank was in jeopardy ahead of a February 8 deadline to remove it.

Settlers in the Amona outpost of some 40 families, which was built on Palestinian land, accused the government of not living up to the terms of a deal reached in December. Under the deal the settlers agreed to relocate peacefully to nearby land considered abandoned by the government.

“Right now we’re dealing with the fact that the government and officials lied,” said Eli Greenberg, an Amona resident and spokesman for the outpost.

“They promised all kinds of lies to us.”

The lack of a clear solution has once again raised the possibility of a forced evacuation of the Amona settlers by the Israeli government and fears that violence could result.

Also on Monday, Palestinian landowners filed a petition to the Israeli high court with their own objections to the government’s relocation plan, said the rights group Yesh Din, which is representing them.

“Ever since the notion of using abandoned property was suggested, we have claimed that one injustice cannot be corrected with another, and that additional land cannot be taken over just to appease Amona residents,” Yesh Din executive director Neta Patrick said.

* Associated Press, Agence France-Presse