WASHINGTON - US Vice President Mike Pence has confirmed that President Donald Trump is thinking about moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem.
“I am proud to say today America’s support for Israel’s security is at a record level. And President Trump has made it absolutely clear - our commitment to Israel’s defence is not negotiable - not now, not ever,” Pence said at the annual conference of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), the powerful pro-Israeli group, in Washington on Sunday.
“The president of the United States is giving serious consideration to moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” Pence added.
“The US will no longer allow the UN to be used as a forum for invective against Israel or the West,” the vice president added.
Trump’s inflammatory promise – made on the campaign trail – was condemned by the international community, which worried that such a symbolic move could spark renewed violence in Israel and the Muslim world.
Many presidential candidates have made similar pledges in the past to appeal to right-wing Jewish voters, but none have followed through during their administrations. While technically a law was passed to move the embassy in 1995, all presidents since - Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama - have signed orders suspending it. The current waiver expires on June 1 2017.
Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state in the territories of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, with East al-Quds as the capital. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has warned the US against the relocation of the embassy, saying doing so would fuel extremism in the region and kill all chances for a solution to the conflict.
On Friday, the US Senate confirmed David Friedman as the US ambassador to Israel. Friedman also supports moving the embassy to Jerusalem.
The son of an Orthodox rabbi, Friedman - who has with no previous political experience - has been called an “impassioned advocate” for strong US-Israeli ties and previously accused former President Barack Obama of “anti-Semitism.”
President Trump has also repeatedly voiced his backing of Israel. In mid-March, the US budget introduced major cuts but urged a boost to military spending and recommended leaving the multi-million aid package to Israel intact.
The statement by Vice President Pence comes just a day after Iran introduced sanctions against 15 US companies for their alleged backing of Israel and for what the Iranian Foreign Ministry branded as “brutal atrocities” committed against Palestinians.
President Trump, Pence said, is “interested in finding an equitable and just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
He referenced the latest round of talks between Trump’s Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt and an Israeli delegation, in which Greenblatt attempted to reach an understanding on settlements and create the conditions for negotiations to begin.
The vice president did not mention, however, the two-state solution as the outcome the administration would seek. Trump himself has not explicitly endorsed that policy, although he also has not ruled it out.
During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February, Trump did not emulate his predecessors by insisting on a two-state solution. “I’m looking at two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like,” he said.
Greenblatt’s recent meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, were meant to send the message that Trump is “committed to forging a lasting peace in the Middle East,” Pence told AIPAC.
Pence sought to assure the audience that any peace plan the administration puts forward will not put Israel at risk. “President Trump will never compromise the safety and security of the Jewish state,” he said to warm applause.
That commitment included a policy of confronting the Iranian regime. “America will stand strong in the face of the leading state sponsor of terrorism,” Pence said. “This administration has put Iran on notice. America will no longer tolerate Iran’s attempts to destabilize the region and jeopardize Israel’s security.”
“Under President Trump,” he added, “America will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.” Pence delivered his speech while orthodox Jewish protesters outside the conference blocked the entrance to the Washington Convention Center, urging an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.