Embassy to stay in Tel Aviv

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has signed a waiver to prevent moving the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, failing to follow through on a repeated campaign pledge that helped garner strong support from the Israeli people and government.

Trump waited until the last minute Wednesday to sign the presidential waiver allowing the embassy to remain in Tel Aviv despite a congressional mandate that it be moved. The previous waiver, issued by President Barack Obama in December, would have expired Thursday.

Signing the waiver is likely to disappoint Israelis and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who see an embassy move as an endorsement of Israel’s position that Jerusalem is its capital.

In a statement issued Thursday, the White House defended the decision, saying that “no one should consider this step to be in any way a retreat” and that Trump still plans to move the embassy, but did not give a timetable.

“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 interests,” the statement said.

In 1995, the U.S. Congress approved the Embassy Act in Jerusalem, which recognizes the city as the capital of Israel. The embassy was supposed to be moved in 1999, but every Republican and Democratic president since has used their powers to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv.