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Making the Promise
“Donald Trump vowed that as president he would move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv
to Jerusalem {Emphasis mine] and scrap the Iran nuclear deal in a speech at the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee conference on Monday.
- - -
“One of the biggest applause lines was Trump’s promise to move the U.S. embassy in Israel
from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
" ‘We will move the U.S. embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem,’
said Trump. ‘I love the people in this room, I love Israel.’
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“While the speech did not delve into specifics, Trump did lay out a general vision for his
policies in the region that fit with standard Republican fare. He said he was opposed to a United Nations negotiated
settlement to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and said he would crack down on Iran’s global terror network and
weapons testing.” (Ref. 1)
Breaking the Promise
“President Donald Trump on Thursday {1 June 2017} signed a waiver to delay
relocating the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv [Emphasis mine] . . .
“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.” (Ref. 2)
Apparently Trump’s promise to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
was just more instance of Trump B.S. – another fabrication, another promise unkept and just one more of example of
Trump spouting words that have no real meaning or actual follow-through.
Postscript
On Monday, 5 June 2017, the U.S. Senate “unanimously [Emphasis
mine] voted on a resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification.
"The Senate voted 90-0 in favor of S.Res.176, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), which reaffirms support for ‘Israel’s commitment to
religious freedom and administration of holy sites in Jerusalem’ and commends the ‘mutually beneficial
American-Israeli relationship.’
“With 45 co-sponsors, the bipartisan resolution proclaims support for Israel’s commitment
to religious freedom and administration of holy sites in Jerusalem, continues to support strengthening the ‘mutually
beneficial’ American-Israeli relationship and reaffirms the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which states
that Jerusalem should remain a united city, recognized as the capital of the State of Israel, and that the US
Embassy should be moved there from Tel Aviv no later than May 31, 1999. [Emphasis mine]
“The bill was passed just days after President Donald Trump signed a waiver deferring
the Congressional mandate to relocate the embassy. Throughout the 2016 presidential election campaign, Trump had
vowed to move the embassy. . . .” (Ref. 3)
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References:
- Trump Vows to Move US Embassy to Jerusalem in AIPAC Speech, Alana Goodman,
The Washington Free Beacon, 21 March 2016.
- Trump delays moving US Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, THOMSON REUTERS,
AOL.NEWS, 1 June 2017.
- US Senate Unanimously Affirms Israeli Sovereignty in Jerusalem, its United Capital,
United With Israel,
6 June 2017.
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