Rabat – The Trump Administration is planning to open its new embassy in the holy city of Jerusalem in May in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of Israel declaring independence.
International media reported today that two officials in the Trump Administration have told the Associated Press that the American Congress would be informed of the decision on Friday.
BREAKING: New US Embassy in Jerusalem will open in May 2018 in celebration of Israel’s 70th anniversary, officials say.
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 23, 2018
The US administration’s announcement came after Donald Trump’s decision in December to recognize Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel and to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the city. The American Vice-President, Mike Pence, had previously stated that the embassy move would occur sometime in 2019.
Trump’s decision has sparked a backlash in the region and was widely condemned by Arab and Western countries alike.
Leaders, including King Mohammed VI, denounced the US decision, considering it a significant threat to peace negotiations between Palestine and Israel.
The monarch sent a letter to the US President on the eve of the decision (December 5), stressing how such a decision would undermine peace negotiations in the region.
The King also sent a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, in which he expressed his deep concern over Trump’s decision, emphasizing that such an action would end peace negotiations between the two states.
