The US State Department will officially relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14th, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Jewish State and fulfilling a longstanding promise after decades of inaction.
According to the Times of Israel the new US embassy will open on Israeli Independence Day; marking the creation of the region’s sole democracy on May 14th, 1948 just years after the conclusion of World War 2 and the horrors of the Holocaust.
US and Israeli officials speaking anonymously confirmed the impending move, adding it may take years to construct a more “permanent” embassy.
“Initially, the embassy will consist of just a few offices inside an existing US facility in Jerusalem. Much of the embassy staff could continue to operate from Tel Aviv during the early stages,” writes the Times.
President Trump announced his historic decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel late last year, saying “I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”
“I am also directing the State Department to begin preparation to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” he added.