WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a waiver to delay relocating the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, the White House said, avoiding a controversial step that would have complicated his efforts to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Trump, who vowed during the 2016 presidential campaign to move the embassy, chose instead to continue his predecessors’ policy of signing a six-month waiver overriding a 1995 law requiring that the embassy be transferred to Jerusalem.
Still, a US official said Trump remained committed to his campaign pledge and would eventually fulfil it, though no timetable had been set.
“He has repeatedly stated his intention to move the embassy,” the White House said in a statement. “The question is not if that move happens, but only when.”
The White House said Trump “made this decision to maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians.” — Reuters
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