The Trump administration is reportedly working diligently to open the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem in May 2018, ahead of a proposed 2019 pledge that was previously made by Vice President Mike Pence.
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The move is being made in an effort to have the opening ready by the time Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary. The embassy will be in a temporary space, while an official and permanent location is worked on, CBN News reported.
The AP has more on these developments, including news of an offer from a well-known GOP donor to help fund the move:
The Trump administration is considering an offer from Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson to pay for at least part of a new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, four U.S. officials told The Associated Press.
Lawyers at the State Department are looking into the legality of accepting private donations to cover some or all of the embassy costs, the administration officials said. The discussions are occurring as the new embassy clears its final bureaucratic hurdles. On Thursday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended weeks of delay by signing off on a security plan for moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city, according to the officials, who weren’t authorized to discuss the issue publicly and demanded anonymity.
The State Department’s notification to Congress of the change comes just one month after Pence revealed that Trump’s pledge to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would officially be fulfilled before the end of 2019.
“The Trump administration will advance our plan to open the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem,” Pence tweeted at the time. “And the Embassy will open before the end of next year.”
The Trump administration will advance our plan to open the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem – and the Embassy will open before the end of next year. #VPinIsrael pic.twitter.com/xxxChzWqLK
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) January 22, 2018
In a separate tweet, Pence said that the fulfillment of Trump’s pledge is being made “in the best interests of the U.S.” and in the best interest of peace in the Middle East.
While in Israel for an official state visit, the vice-president heralded the positive relationship between the United States and Israel.
“The alliance between our two countries has never been stronger and the friendship between our peoples has never been deeper,” Pence said.
The Trump admin will advance our plan to open our Embassy in Jerusalem & the Embassy will open before the end of next year. @POTUS made his decision “in the best interests of the U.S” but he also made it clear we believe this decision is in the best interests of peace #VPinIsrael pic.twitter.com/YlyuqjYt2v
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) January 22, 2018
As Faithwire previously reported, President Trump’s proclamation in December “officially recognizing Jerusalem as [Israel’s] capital” and his decision to relocate the “United States Embassy to Israel to Jerusalem as soon as practicable” has rocked the world.
The United Nations General Assembly took the issue up in December during an emergency session, with the vast majority of member countries condemning the move. Overall, 128 countries voted for a resolution against Trump’s proposal, while just nine nations sided with the U.S. An additional 35 countries abstained from the vote, CNN reported.
The measure certainly has its opponents outside of the UN as well, including Pope Francis and the heads of some Christian churches in Jerusalem. In fact, 13 church leaders from Greek, Syrian and Armenian Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran and other traditions signed a letter to Trump that warned of potential repercussions, according to The Los Angeles Times.
It is unclear if the permanent embassy location will be solidified and open by the end of 2019.
Jerusalem continues to spark a slew of controversy among the world’s Abrahamic faiths. For an in-depth history on why the embattled city matters so much to so many parties, go here.