Jerusalem mayor seeks U.S. embassy

Jerusalem’s mayor said Tuesday that he is confident Donald Trump will move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a break in U.S. policy that is sure to anger Palestinians, who want the eastern sector of the city for their future capital.

Mayor Nir Barkat told The Associated Press that he has been in touch with Trump’s staff about the issue. While previous presidential candidates have made similar promises, Barkat said his conversations have led him to believe that Trump is serious.

Israel captured east Jerusalem in 1967 and annexed it in a move that is not internationally recognized. It claims the entire city as its capital. The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem, home to key Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, as the capital of their future state. Virtually all embassies to Israel are located in or around Tel Aviv.

“Moving the embassy to the capital of the Jewish people, to Jerusalem, is a straightforward, standard thing to do,” Barkat said.

The mayor made his comments a day after Trump’s spokeswoman, Kellyanne Conway, told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that the president-elect is determined to move the embassy to Jerusalem.

The Palestinians condemned the idea. “Any attempt to move the embassy to Jerusalem will not help achieve peace,” said Adnan Husseini, Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs.