US confirms Jerusalem embassy will open in May 2018

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The United States will deliver on its promise to open its new embassy in Jerusalem earlier than expected with an official launch expected in May, a State Department spokesperson said on Friday.

“In May, the United States plans to open a new US Embassy in Jerusalem,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement.

Last year, US President Donald Trump announced a controversial decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, officially recognizing it as Israel’s capital.

The announcement prompted protests among Palestinians and others who disagreed with the choice.

“Today, we finally acknowledge the obvious: That Jerusalem is Israel’s capital,” Trump said during a televised announcement from the White House in December.

“This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality,” he added. “It is also the right thing to do. It’s something that has to be done.”

The opening will coincide with the 70th anniversary of Israel’s declaration of independence on May 14, 1948.

The announcement means the move will be made much quicker than initially expected after US Vice-President Mike Pence in late January said the embassy would open in 2019.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials reacted to the news of an early opening, hailing the development as “a great day for the people of Israel.”

A statement issued by the Israeli Embassy in Washington said the decision would “turn Israel’s 70th Independence Day into an even bigger celebration.”

Trump’s decision reversed a decades-old policy of not recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. No other nation has its embassy in Jerusalem.

The move has caused concern internationally over the risk of creating further instability in the Middle East.