Mike Pence said in a speech to the Israeli parliament that the US embassy will move to Jerusalem by the end of 2019.
In a controversial move that formally recognises Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, the US Vice President said that efforts will be accelerated to move the embassy to the new location.
“In the weeks ahead, our administration will advance its plan to open the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem — and the embassy will open next year,” he said on Monday.
“Our president made his decision in the best interests of the United States — but he also made it clear that we believe this decision is in the best interests of peace,” he added. “By finally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the United States has chosen fact over fiction — and fact is the only true foundation for a just and lasting peace.”
The speech was not taken without protest. Israeli Arab parliament members held up protest signs in both Arabic and English, stating “Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine”. They were shortly removed from the speech by ushers.
Hanan Ashrawi, a Palestinian negotiator, said that calling Pence’s visit to the Middle East as one that is to support the peace process was “ridiculous.”
“The American side cannot talk about the peace process after it undermined it by declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,”
Middle East analyst, Aaron David Miller, believes the announcement is likely to satisfy Israel supporters yet will cause concern among Palestinian supporters, making it difficult to move forward with a peace plan.
“In fact, it’s likely to convince them that even if they get into a process, they will have a unilateral act by the United States within a year that drives home the point that whatever happens in negotiations, Jerusalem is off the table,” he said.