Israeli Ambassador Supports Moving Embassy to Jerusalem

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer on Tuesday expressed his support for moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, a proposal backed by both President-elect Donald Trump and David Friedman, his nominee for the next U.S. ambassador to Israel. “The reasons why the United States should move the embassy I think are pretty clear,” Dermer said at a Hanukkah party at the Israeli embassy in Washington, Politico reported. “The first thing, it would send a strong message against the delegitimization of Israel and of Jerusalem. The second reason why I think the embassy should be moved to our capital is that it would be a great step forward to peace. That’s right. A great step forward to peace,” he said. Critics warn that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would only fan the flames of Israel’s conflict with Palestine, as the Palestinians consider Jerusalem their capital as well.