Knesset Speaker urges Congress to support embassy move

As the Jordanian monarch campaigns for the opposite, Israel’s Knesset Speaker has been urging members of Congress to support moving the US embassy to Jerusalem. 

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, meeting in Washington Wednesday with Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, urged support for President Donald Trump’s stated plan to move the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, noting that it could create an international domino effect.

“The meaning of wide Congressional support could lead to global and regional support,” Edelstein said. “If the American embassy moves, I am absolutely certain that other countries will move their embassies to the capital.”

Republicans in the House of Representatives have already circulated a letter urging Trump to take “swift action” in moving the embassy.

“Moving the embassy will strengthen the unique alliance between Israel and the United States and send a clear message to the world that we support Israel in recognizing Jerusalem as its eternal capital,” the letter reads.

Ryan made no mention of any moves by members of Congress to support the initiative, but instead expressed appreciation to his Israeli counterpart for his commitment to expanding the US-Israel relationship.

“I reiterated my steadfast support for Israel’s security and her inalienable right to self-defense,” Ryan stated. “The historic alliance between our two nations has never been more important, and I appreciate Speaker Edelstein’s commitment to strengthening this special relationship.”

Jordan’s king campaigns against embassy move

While Edelstein has been making rounds with members of the US Congress and Senate to drum up support for moving the embassy to Jerusalem, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, also in the US, has been attending meetings of his own with Congress members, campaigning against the initiative.

According to Jordan News Agency (Petra), Abdullah argued that that “moving the US embassy to Jerusalem will have regional consequences that will undermine the opportunities for peace and reaching the two-state solution and weaken the chances of a success in the war against terrorism.”

Abdullah also claimed that the move would “have negative impacts on the region’s security and stability” and “increase the anger and despair among Arabs and Muslims, enabling extremists to further spread their dark ideologies and agendas” in light of “the importance of the sacred city of Jerusalem for Arab and Muslim peoples.”

Most recently, Trump said in an interview to CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network) that there’s “certainly a chance” that he would move the US embassy to Jerusalem, but committed to “studying it very long and hard” before ultimately reaching a decision to do so.

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News

EdelsteinJerusalemPaul RyanUS embassy