AMBASSADOR/ISRAEL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The United States Embassy in Jerusalem is set to open with great fanfare on Monday [5-14-18], but the American ambassador to Israel will not yet work permanently out of his new office there, administration officials said Friday [5-11-18], and instead will split his time between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. That solution might be practical, given that there is little spare space in the Jerusalem building, and most of the embassy staff will be remaining in the Tel Aviv branch of the embassy for the time being. But it may also help get around any diplomatic awkwardness, allowing the ambassador, David M. Friedman, to continue to host officials whose countries oppose the American embassy move. President Trump, who fulfilled a campaign promise by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last year, will not attend the opening but will address the event by video. The embassy move goes against an international consensus that it prejudges the outcome of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations over the future status of the contested city. The planned opening comes at a time when Israel and Iran have launched attacks against each other as Iran maintains a foothold in Syria. Iran fired rockets at Israel shortly after Mr. Trump announced on Tuesday [5-8-18] that the United States would pull out of the Obama-era nuclear agreement with Tehran.”
-Eileen Sullivan and Isabel Kershner, “U.S. Ambassador Will Not Work Full Time in New Jerusalem Embassy,” The New York Times online, May 11, 2018