American VP Mike Pence delayed his scheduled Middle East tour as he is preparing to chair a Senate session to eventually break the tie on new major tax cuts next week – Reuters
CAIRO – 12 January 2018: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview with Fox News that the U.S. is already planning for the step of moving the Embassy to Jerusalem. “The decision was made and we will move our embassy to Israel’s capital,” Pence stated.
“As you know, our consulate is in Jerusalem… President [Donald Trump] has expressed the need to initiate planning for this step, identifying possible locations [for the Embassy] and providing good infrastructure,” added Pence. “I believe it will be several years before we cut the red tape.”
Pence also mentioned that the past 20 years have seen U.S. administrations and Congress recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel but none of them were “brave enough to take a step forward and implement this policy on the ground.” He further elaborated that the U.S.’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel confirmed his country's commitment to the process of peaceful settlement in the Middle East.
Pence confirmed that his trip to the Middle East, set to begin January 19 in Egypt, will confirm Trump’s decision.
In a unilateral decision, on December 6, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital by announcing the relocation of the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
In an annual press conference with foreign press held Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the government and Knesset headquarters will be in Jerusalem, regardless of the peace negotiations’ results, Sputnik new agency reported.
Comments
Leave a Comment