Trump still committed to an embassy in Jerusalem, just not yet
President sends strongest signals of any since 1995 about allowing the move from Tel Aviv
President Donald Trump has temporarily waived a law requiring the U.S. to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, but the White House said in a statement it's not a question "if that move happens, but only when."
Trump's move to renew the waiver for six months keeps the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv for now. Trump has said he's reviewing whether to fulfil his campaign promise to move it to Jerusalem, comments that were welcomed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump was facing a Thursday deadline to renew the waiver or see the State Department lose half its funding for its overseas facilities.
Jerusalem's status is one of the most emotionally charged matters separating the Israelis and Palestinians. Both sides stake claims. Israel captured east Jerusalem — claimed by Palestinians for the capital of a future independent state — from Jordan in 1967 and annexed it, in a move not internationally recognized.
Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act in 1995, but every president since has signed waivers to hold off moving the embassy.
But since taking office, Trump has heard repeatedly from foreign leaders and Mideast experts warning him that such a move could terminate his push for a Mideast peace deal even before it gets started. The longstanding U.S. position is that Jerusalem's fate must be worked out through Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The Palestinians argue moving the embassy would prejudge one of the most sensitive issues in the conflict, undermining America's status as an effective mediator.
Trump visited Israel and the Palestinian territories last week, but did not mention a two-state solution in his speeches.
A White House statement on Thursday said Trump remains committed to moving the embassy, but that the delay is intended to "maximize the chances" of helping the two sides reach a peace deal.
"No one should consider this step to be in any way a retreat from the president's strong support for Israel and for the United States-Israel alliance," the statement read.
Trump had been lobbied heavily by Mideast leaders, notably Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah II of Jordan, to sign the waiver to prevent further instability and unrest in the region. Abdullah in particular expressed deep concern that moving the embassy would spark unrest among his country's large Palestinian population.
Israel, Palestinians react
Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdeneh called the decision Thursday an "important positive step" that illustrates the U.S. seriousness about promoting peace.
The Palestinian ambassador to Washington, Hussam Zomlot, says the move "gives peace a chance."
"We are ready to start the consultation process with the U.S. administration. We are serious and genuine about achieving a just and lasting peace," added Zomlot.
In a statement, Netanyahu's office said Thursday that it believes all embassies should be in what it called Israel's "eternal capital."
The statement said: "Maintaining embassies outside the capital drives peace further away by helping keep alive the Palestinian fantasy that the Jewish people and the Jewish state have no connection to Jerusalem."
Despite the disappointment, the statement indicated Israel appreciates Trump's friendship and his commitment to moving the embassy to Jerusalem in the future.
U.S. officials have said the process of moving the embassy would take at least six months and involve major adjustments in security, office and housing space and staffing at both the existing facility in Tel Aviv and the consulate general in Jerusalem. Building a new complex in Jerusalem would take even longer.
With files from CBC News