The United States said Friday it will relocate its embassy in Israel to Jerusalemin May, bringing forward the contested move to coincide with the Jewish state’s 70th birthday — and enraging Palestinians, who called it a “blatant provocation.” Palestinians object to recognition of the disputed city as Israel’s capital and say the embassy move could destroy a two-state solution to the decades-old Middle East conflict. Palestinians also object to the date chosen for the embassy move — they call May 14, on which Israel declared independence in 1948, Naqba, their “day of catastrophe.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the announcement and thanked US President Donald Trump for his “leadership” and his “friendship.” The embassy move is expected to complicate efforts to restart peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians — and jeopardize the traditional, if disputed, US role as an “honest broker” in efforts to resolve one of the world’s most intractable conflicts. “In May, the United States plans to open a new US embassy in Jerusalem. The opening will coincide with Israel’s 70th anniversary,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert in a statement. Until now, the US embassy has been located in Tel Aviv with a separate consulate general located in Jerusalem that represents US interests in the Palestinian territories. The new embassy will be initially located in a US consular building in Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood while Washington searches for a permanent location, “the planning and construction of which will be a longer-term undertaking,” Nauert said. The interim embassy… [Read full story]
President Donald Trump on Wednesday will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and set in motion the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to the ancient city, senior U.S. officials said, a decision that upends decades of U.S. policy and risks fueling violence in the Middle East. Facing an outcry of opposition from Arab capitals, Trump, in a landmark speech, will announce he has ordered the State Department to begin developing a plan to move the embassy from Tel Aviv in what is expected to be a process that takes three to four years, the officials said. He will not set a…... [read more]
President Donald Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy on Wednesday and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, effectively taking sides in one of the thorniest issues in the Mideast dispute and upsetting Washington's friends and foes alike.Trump announced his administration would begin a process of moving the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a step expected to take years and one that his predecessors had avoided so as not to inflame tensions.The status of Jerusalem -- home to sites that are holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions -- is one of the biggest obstacles to reaching…... [read more]
A senior administration official said Trump would make the landmark announcement – which flies in the face of warnings from America’s allies across the region and the world – at 1pm (local time) from the White House."He will say that that the United States government recognises that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel," a senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity."He views this as a recognition of reality, both historic reality," the source added, "and modern reality".Plunging further into a bitter centuries-old argument between Jews, Muslims and Christians, Trump will also order planning to begin on moving the…... [read more]
“I have decided that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.” Trump’s announcement, made on Wednesday, has ignited protests from the international community.Many countries have warned that the US’s unilateral move dangerous and could destroy the peace efforts being brokered by the US. Jerusalem – a tenacious problem of global politics Over the past 70 years, a two-state solution has been the international community’s first answer to the Israel-Palestine conflict over territory. On November 29th, 1947, the…... [read more]
The Hanoitimes - On September 2, at the historic Ba Dinh Square, the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly, the State President, the Government, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee and Hanoi City has solemnly celebrated the meeting, parade, march to celebrate 70th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day. At 7 a.m, the meeting ceremony, parade, march to celebrate 70th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19, 1945 - 2015) and the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (September 2, 1945 - 2015) start to take place.Prior to the march, a 21-gun salute has been fired…... [read more]
