U.S. Moving Embassy to Jerusalem by May in a Faster Timetable
- Ambassador will work out of existing facility for now
- Administration weighing sites for a permanent embassy later
Protesters burn a poster of U.S. President Donald Trump in Jerusalem on Dec. 11, 2017.
Photographer: Chris McGrath/Getty Images EuropeThe Trump administration will officially move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem by May, the State Department said, as the U.S. speeds up the timetable for a decision that has infuriated Palestinian leaders and jeopardized the American role as mediator in the Middle East peace process.
Under the new arrangement, signed by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Feb. 22 and announced Friday, Ambassador David Friedman and a small group of staff will take up work in an existing U.S. consulate in Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood in May, to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Israel’s founding. Expansion of the facility will take place by the end of 2019, the State Department said.