U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (pictured) and Dean Heller proposed the Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act of 2015, which would remove the president's authority to waive the relocation of the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Photo: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons

JNS.org – US Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Dean Heller (R-NV) on Tuesday proposed legislation that would remove the president’s authority to waive the relocation of America’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act of 2015 also requires official government documents to identify Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The US embassy remains in Tel Aviv two decades after the passage of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 on Oct. 23, 1995, with overwhelming majorities in the Senate (93-5) and the House of Representatives (374-37). The 2015 legislation removes language from the 1995 law that gave the president authority to delay the embassy move in the interest of national security.

“It is my hope that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle support this important bill,” Cruz said. “It is long past due for our government to finally and unequivocally recognize Israel’s historical capital both in word and deed.”

“This legislation further confirms America’s support for one of our strongest allies by recognizing Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel,” Heller said. “The United States must continue to stand beside Israel and this legislation honors promises our nation made years ago.”