Republican Sens. Marco Rubio, Dean Heller and Ted Cruz are pressing Congress to act on a bill to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a dramatic but symbolic action that also would fulfill a campaign promise President-elect Trump made.
“Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish state of Israel, and that’s where America’s embassy belongs,” Rubio, a top Trump rival for the GOP presidential nomination before dropping out in March, said in a statement Tuesday. “It’s time for Congress and the president-elect to eliminate the loophole that has allowed presidents in both parties to ignore U.S. law and delay our embassy’s rightful relocation to Jerusalem for over two decades.”
“I’ve advocated for America’s need to reaffirm its support for one of our nation’s strongest allies by recognizing Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel,” said Heller, a Nevada Republican. “While administrations come and go, the lasting strength to our partnership with one of our strongest allies in the Middle East continues to endure. My legislation is a testament to that.”
The effort comes after House and Senate Republicans announced that each chamber would consider resolutions denouncing the recent United Nations measure describing Israeli settlements as illegal.
The Obama administration refused to use its power to veto the Dec. 23 measure, angering Israeli leaders and their allies in Washington who decried the move as the latest in a series of failures to fully support Israel as United States’ strongest ally in the Middle East.
During the presidential campaign, Trump vowed to follow through on the promise to move the embassy to Jerusalem “fairly quickly” after taking office.
The Trump transition’s statement announcing the selection of David Friedman as Trump’s choice for U.S. ambassador to Israel said Friedman supports the idea and looks forward to making it happen.
Jerusalem is a contested city, with both Israelis and Palestinians claiming it as their capital. To avoid conflict and greater possible bloodshed, the U.S. chose Tel Aviv as the location of its U.S. embassy. Israelis have long pushed for a move to Jerusalem.
Experts on Israeli relations in the Middle East run the gamut of opinions on whether such a move would further inflame tensions and spark massacres or reaffirm Israel’s permanence in Jerusalem and help end the decades of conflict.
