Tuesday, March 19th | 9 Adar II 5784

Subscribe
January 18, 2018 8:34 am
0

After Trump Denial, Netanyahu Clarifies Remarks on Timeframe for US Embassy in Jerusalem

× [contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]

avatar by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff

US President Donald Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at a press conference in Jerusalem, May 2017. Photo: Netanyahu’s Twitter account.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a step back on Thursday from comments, challenged by US President Donald Trump, that envisioned a one-year timeframe for the planned relocation of the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

An official in Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister recognized that construction of a new embassy will take years but believes Washington is considering “interim measures that could result in an embassy opening much faster.”

The official, who declined to be named, did not define those steps or mention any dates for a Jerusalem embassy to begin operating. In the past, Israeli media have speculated that, before a building is ready, the US ambassador would operate part of the time out of a temporary location in Jerusalem.

Trump in early December recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and set in motion the process of moving the embassy from Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu, according to Israeli reporters traveling with him on a trip to India, said on Wednesday: “My solid assessment is that it will go much faster than you think — within a year from now.”

Asked about Netanyahu’s comment, Trump told Reuters in an interview that was not the case. “By the end of the year? We’re talking about different scenarios — I mean obviously that would be on a temporary basis. We’re not really looking at that. That’s no.”

The Israeli official, responding to Trump’s remarks, said: “The president and the prime minister are not saying anything different.”

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said last month the embassy move was “probably no earlier than three years out, and that’s pretty ambitious,” a timeframe that administration officials have attributed to the logistics of finding and securing a site as well as arranging housing for diplomats.

Share this Story: Share On Facebook Share On Twitter

Let your voice be heard!

Join the Algemeiner

Algemeiner.com

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.