President Donald Trump on Thursday delayed a decision to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem for at least another six months, a senior administration official said. “He doesn’t think the timing is right now,” the official said, explaining Trump’s decision to temporarily waive the law passed by Congress requiring the relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, as Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush did before him. “The president’s view is that this is a hopeful time. He thinks peace is possible. The timing of this decision is meant to keep that momentum going,” the official said. “It’s a question on when and not if.” The deadline to renew the waiver was Thursday. Moving the embassy at some point in the future does not mean Trump is endorsing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the official said, speaking anonymously as a condition of briefing reporters. Israel calls Jerusalem its capital, but Palestinians want to make east Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state. “None of the parties should read into this the U.S. endorsing one particular aspect of what needs to come from a final status negotiation,” the official said.
—Kimberly Dozier
