Newsweek

Why Trump Won’t Move the U.S. Embassy in Israel

The president appears to be making a wider play toward Middle East peace—but perhaps one that stops short of a Palestinian state.
A man takes pictures of a giant banner congratulating Donald Trump in Jerusalem on January 20.
Israel embassy

On the south side of Jerusalem, an open field that once served as a British military encampment has stood unoccupied for more than two decades. In the spring, Arab shepherds often graze their sheep on the low scrub grass. In 1995, the Israeli government set aside the nearly eight acres of land for the new U.S. Embassy after Congress passed a law requiring the U.S. to move it from Tel Aviv to Israel’s capital. Ever since, however, every American president—both Republican and Democrat—has invoked a waiver that postpones the move, sobered by the impact it would have on the Middle East and U.S. national security.

After less than a week in office, President Donald Trump, who promised repeatedly on the campaign trail to break from his predecessors and move the embassy, is now backing away from that pledge. Instead, he is reportedly pursuing something far more ambitious: a revived Middle East peace process. “That is their top priority,” Joe Scarborough, the MSNBC host who speaks frequently with Trump, on January 23, citing an unnamed White House source. “And they have been told in no uncertain terms that the recognition of Jerusalem sets that

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Newsweek

Newsweek6 min read
Country Has Won Our Achy Breaky Hearts
COUNTRY MUSIC IS ENJOYING A HUGE RESUR-gence—and showing signs that it is becoming more inclusive. With both Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey having announced that they’re releasing country albums this year, and country songs regularly going viral on TikTok,
Newsweek2 min read
Ramy Youssef
DESCRIBING RAMY YOUSSEF’S WORK ISN’T EASY, BECAUSE HE REFUSES TO settle on just one thing. “I feel really inspired to connect in the way that it makes sense.” That started out with stand-up, but has since morphed into acting, writing, directing and p
Newsweek4 min read
Valerie Bauman
Q _ Were you ultimately successful in your quest to conceive? A _ I am currently pregnant, due in mid-May. I can’t wait to meet my son! Is there anything you would have done differently along the way? There is a donor I mention in the book who I wo

Related Books & Audiobooks