1/22/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/MIKE PENCE/PALESTINE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Vice President Mike Pence on Monday [1-22-18] said the U.S. will open its embassy in Jerusalem next year, a move that Arab leaders warn undercuts efforts to reach a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians.
In the final leg of a three-nation visit to the Middle East, Mr. Pence told Israel’s legislature that President Donald Trump was making good on his pledge to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv… Legislators in the Knesset stood and applauded Mr. Pence’s declaration…
Mr. Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December and the relocation was initially expected to take several years. However, more recently U.S. officials have indicated the new embassy could open next year, as they look to modify an existing property rather than seek a new site.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Pence met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who thanked him and Mr. Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as the nation’s capital.
Standing beside Mr. Pence, Mr. Netanyahu said: ‘I’ve had the privilege over the years of standing here with hundreds of leaders and welcomed them, all of them, to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem. This is the first time I stand here where both leaders can say those three words: *Israel’s capital, Jerusalem.*’ “

-Peter Nicholas, “Pence Says U.S. Will Open Embassy in Jerusalem Next Year,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 22, 2018 10:54am