US committed to embassy move
Jerusalem mayor say Washington ‘serious’ about plan
JERUSALEM // The mayor of Jerusalem said yesterday the Trump administration was “serious” and committed to moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Nir Barkat said that from conversations he has 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 currently maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv. Its transfer to Jerusalem would break with the consensus of the 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. On Sunday, the White House said discussions over the embassy’s possible relocation were only at the beginning stages. It came as Donald Trump spoke with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone, inviting him to visit the White House 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.
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.
Yesterday, 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 about 40 families, which was built on Palestinian land, accused the government of not living up to the terms of a deal reached last month. Under the deal, the settlers agreed to relocate to nearby land considered abandoned by the government.
Also yesterday , Palestinian landowners filed a petition to the Israeli high court with their own objections to the government’s relocation plan.
“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,” said Neta Patrick of rights group Yesh Din.