Trump hits pause: Embassy move to Jerusalem will wait, again

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has yet to decide on when to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, its spokesman said on Monday.

Press Secretary Sean Spicer, in his first Q&A with reporters, said that President Trump had not yet made a decision about the embassy move.

“There’s no decision,” Spicer said when he was asked about whether the administration had considered the strategic consequences of a move. “We’re at the very early stages of that decision-making process.”

Later, asked whether Trump would order the move through executive action, Spicer said: “It’s very early in this process. We’re at the beginning stages of this decision-making process and his team will continue to consult with stakeholders there.”

Finally, a third reporter asked Spicer whether he meant there was no decision yet — not just on when, but whether to move the embassy.

“If it was already a decision, we wouldn’t be going through the process,” Spicer said.

Trump said while he campaigned and reportedly as recently as last week that he planned to move the embassy from Tel Aviv. Last week, Spicer said there would be an announcement “soon.”

The Palestinian leadership has said in recent days that an embassy move could bury any vestiges of the peace process, which Trump has said he would like to advance. MSNBC reported Monday that Trump believes that advancing peace is a greater priority than moving the embassy. Jordan, a close U.S. ally, has also warned that the move could destabilize the region.

Congress in 1995 passed a law mandating a move to Jerusalem, but allowed presidents to waive it every six months for national security reasons; successive presidents have done so. Trump would need to issue a waiver by the end of May if he chooses not to move the embassy.

At Tuesday’s press briefing, Spicer said that when Prime Minister Netanyahu visits Washington next month, President Trump would raise the issue of recently announced settlement expansion plans.

“We’ll discuss that,” Spicer said.

“He has asked his team to get together” and study the settlement question, Spicer said. “Israel has continued to be a huge ally of the United States … he wants to get closer with Israel.”

On Tuesday, Israel approved construction of 2,500 new homes in Judea and Samaria, which was the largest announcement in several years. While most of these homes are within main settlement blocs, according to Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, approximately 100 units are in the Jewish community of Bet El near Ramallah, to which the Trump Foundation donated $10,000 in 2003. Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner has also donated to the community. Trump’s choice for ambassador to Israel, David Friedman of Long Island, also has close ties with Bet El.