The move marks a departure from historical State Department policy regarding Jerusalem in American passports.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

An announcement that U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem can list ‘Israel’ as their place of birth on their passports may come by the end of this week, Politico reported Wednesday evening.

The move marks a departure from historical State Department policy regarding Jerusalem in American passports.

Until now, American citizens born in Jerusalem were not able to list their place of birth as Israel in their passports – instead, under place of birth, an American passport reads “Jerusalem.”

Although President Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in 2017, State Department policy did not list Jerusalem as part of Israel on American passports, in an attempt to maintain neutrality on Jerusalem’s “disputed” status.

On the State Department site, under “Unusual Circumstances Regarding Place of Birth,” the policy reads, “U.S. policy recognizes that Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are territories whose final status must be determined by negotiations.”

“The Place of Birth for persons born in Jerusalem is Jerusalem. Do not list Israel for persons born within the current municipal borders of Jerusalem.”

In 2015, the parents of Menachem Zivotofsky, an American citizen born in Jerusalem, brought a suit challenging the State Department policy to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Zivotofskys’ suit called on the State Department to adjust its policy to fit the Foreign Relations Authorization Act passed by Congress in 2002.

The law stated that “for the issuance of a passport of a United States citizen born in the city of Jerusalem, the Secretary shall, upon the request of the citizen or the citizen’s legal guardian, record the place of birth as Israel.”

However, the Supreme Court decided against the Zivotofsky family, striking down the law and ruling that Congress had overstepped its authority and that only the president may decide how to recognize foreign entities.

“Recognition is a matter on which the nation must speak with one voice. That voice is the president’s,” wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy in the court’s majority opinion.

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Now that the U.S. officially recognizes the Golan Heights as part of Israel, 10 Republican senators are urging the administration to issue passports to citizens born there, with Israel listed as the birthplace.

By World Israel News Staff

Last month, standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, U.S President Donald Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

The president said it was time for the U.S. to take the step after 52 years of Israeli control of the strategic highlands on the border with Syria.

As a result, CNS News reported, the updated State Department manual states that “U.S. policy recognizes the Golan Heights as part of Israel. The Place of Birth for applicants born in the Golan Heights is Israel.”

Indeed, on Tuesday, the Trump administration’s special envoy for Middle East negotiations, Jason Greenblatt, released an updated map of Israel that now includes the Golan Heights.

In the wake of this development, a group of 10 Republican senators sent a letter to President Trump on Wednesday, “urging the administration to take necessary steps to fully implement the proclamation, such as directing the State Department to treat the Golan Heights as the State of Israel’s sovereign territory to issue passports to Americans born there,” The Jerusalem Post reported.

“The United States now recognizes the Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli soil,” said Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) in a statement, the Post added. “Our official documents, maps, regulations, and international agreements ought to reflect that historic fact. We stand ready to help the president implement his decision, which strengthens Israel’s capacity for self-defense against enemies like Iran and the terrorist forces who want to destroy it.”

“Deepening Israel’s sovereignty and control over the Golan Heights is in America’s national security interest,” added Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), according to the Post. “The president should be applauded for his decision to recognize the reality of that sovereignty, which he did over the objections of some in his administration who incorrectly predicted that it would cause unrest in the Middle East.

“Now it is imperative that all federal agencies implement the president’s decision, including by aligning the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual to reflect that it is United States policy that the Golan Heights is Israeli territory.”

Policy towards Jerusalem ‘unchanged’

According to the State Department, however, the policy toward the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), Gaza and Jerusalem remains unchanged and recognizes these territories as “territories whose final status must be determined by negotiations.”

A case involving U.S. citizen Menachem Zivotofsky, born in Shaare Zedek hospital in western Jerusalem, has been ongoing since his parents filed a suit against the State Department in 2003 because “Jerusalem,” rather than “Israel,” was listed on his passport as his place of birth. In June 2015, the Supreme Court ruled, 6-3 that the president has exclusive power to decide which country to recognize as sovereign in a given territory.

In the wake of President Donald Trump’s Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the Lewins expressed hope that the policy would be reversed.

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Concern over relations with the Arab and Muslim world and potential terror attacks against Brazil might lead to a reversal of the president’s pledge.

By World Israel News Staff

In response to pressure, the office of Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro is considering the establishment of an “embassy branch” in Jerusalem instead of a full-fledged embassy, reported the Israel Hayom daily.

According to the report, the pullback from the earlier pledge to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is due to concerns that the move could result in terrorist attacks on the country and hurt Brazil’s export industry with Arab states.

Bolsonaro announced in November, after winning the presidential election, that he intends to move his country’s embassy to Jerusalem.

When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Brazil for Bolsonaro’s January 1 presidential inauguration, the Brazilian leader pledged that the move was only a matter of time.

However, even before taking office, Bolsonaro was feeling the heat from the Arab world. In December, the Arab League warned Bolsonaro that moving Brazil’s embassy to Jerusalem would strain relations with Arab countries.

Within Brazil, there has been pressure on the new president from advisers who belong to the “old guard” and from the military establishment, according to the newspaper report. Previous Brazilian governments have taken a strong pro-Palestinian stance. In 2016, the Palestinian Authority opened an embassy in Brasilia.

The lower-grade mission that would be established in Jerusalem would be similar in status, according to the report, to the trade office set up by Hungary in the Israeli capital this past week.

Almost all countries represented in Israel maintain their embassies in the Tel Aviv area. However, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017 and set up the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem in May 2018. Guatemala followed suit. In September, Paraguay reversed its embassy move to Jerusalem and returned it to Tel Aviv.

“Paraguay wants to contribute to an intensification of regional diplomatic efforts to achieve a broad, fair, and lasting peace in the Middle East,” Foreign Minister Luis Alberto Castiglioni said at the time.

For countries considering the move to Jerusalem, it has been a matter of balancing between the potential harm in relations with the Arab and Muslim world if the embassy is moved to Jerusalem and angering the U.S., which has been encouraging countries to make the move.

Israel and Honduras have agreed to proceed with a plan to open embassies in Jerusalem and Tegucigalpa. The commitment was made in January in a joint statement on behalf of the two countries and the U.S.

Trump had threatened to cut off aid to Tegucigalpa over the issue of illegal migrants from Honduras crossing Mexico heading for the U.S. border. Honduras hoped that the agreement on setting up an embassy in Jerusalem would instead mean upgraded ties with the U.S. administration.

The Brazilian president is scheduled to visit the U.S. and meet with Trump this week.

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The U.S. plan “in essence, divides Jerusalem and changes its borders,” Israel Hayom reports.

By World Israel News Staff

Another report has emerged on the details of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. American officials have said that the plan will be made public right after next month’s Knesset election.

At the center of the report by Nadav Shragai, published in Israel Hayom, is the status of Jerusalem under the terms of the U.S. plan.

When Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017, he stated that his declaration did not relate to what the final boundaries of the city would be. Indeed, his peace plan “in essence, divides Jerusalem and changes its borders,” says the report, although no source is mentioned.

Shragai reports that “portions and ideas” from the plan have already been presented to Israel, the Palestinians, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt.

Certain northern sections of the current Jerusalem municipal boundaries, captured by Israel in the 1967 war, but where an Arab village and refugee camp are located, would be transferred to a Palestinian state, along with Arab neighborhoods in southern Jerusalem captured in the same war.

At least at the first stage of implementation, Israel would maintain “broad security powers” in the areas handed over to the Palestinians, says the paper, adding that 85% of Judea and Samaria would be included in the Palestinian state, as well.

In its plan, the report continues, the U.S. administration distinguishes between the areas of “former Jordanian Jerusalem” before the ’67 war, which includes the Old City and adjacent neighborhoods, and a far larger swathe of territory which Israel annexed into its capital after the war but which had not been included within the municipal lines before that point.

The Old City and adjacent areas, including the Mount of Olives, would remain under Israeli sovereignty, according to the report. However, some of the outlying Arab neighborhoods, which became part of Jerusalem only after the ’67 conflict, would be included in the Palestinian state.

The Western Wall would remain under exclusive Israeli control.

Regarding the Temple Mount, the Americans wished to consider the establishment of a joint inter-Arab religious administration which would include other states, in addition to Jordan which currently serves as patron of the Muslim holy sites. This administration would work in tandem with Israel, according to the reported plan, and the area would remain under Israeli sovereignty.

A safe passage route would be set up between the “Palestinian” part of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

The Palestinian Authority rejects the Trump plan outright, the report says.

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“The proposed conference will present the unshakeable alliance between the U.S. and Israel,”  says Marc Zell, chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel.

By Yori Yalon, Israel Hayom via JNS

For the first time, representatives of the Republican Party living outside the United States plan on convening an international conference in Jerusalem.

Marc Zell, an Israeli-American lawyer and the chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel, sent Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion a letter saying that, among other things, the conference is expected to focus on diplomatic issues and that organizers intend to invite representatives of the Trump administration.

“This is expected to be the first international conference of its sort, and we can’t think of a better place to hold it than Jerusalem,” Zell wrote in the letter. “The proposed conference will present the unshakeable alliance between the U.S. and Israel.”

Speaking to Israel Hayom, Zell said: “The decision to convene the conference in Jerusalem is a direct continuation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration of recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving the U.S. Embassy to [the city], decisions which were greatly appreciated among millions in the United States.

“The date chosen for the conference, in October of 2019, falls near the onset of the U.S. presidential campaign,” for which elections will be held in 2020.

“We’ve received positive initial indicators. We are very hopeful about holding this conference, but it also depends on other factors,” said Zell.

Zell met earlier this week with Lion and Deputy Mayor Haim Cohen, in which Lion expressed a desire to host the conference in the capital.

The international convention comprises representatives of the Republican Party living in 62 countries outside the United States.

“The city of Jerusalem and I would be honored to host the international Republican convention in Jerusalem, the unified capital of Israel,” said Lion. “The United States is an old and true friend and holding the conference for the first time in history within the borders of the State of Israel is truly good tiding.”

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Pope, Abbas discuss Jerusalem at first meeting after U.S. Embassy move.

By The Algemeiner and Reuters

The Vatican expressed concern over the status of Jerusalem on Monday as Pope Francis and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas held their first meeting since the United States stirred international anxiety by moving its embassy there.

The two embraced and kissed on the cheek as the pontiff welcomed Abbas to a library in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace for a private, 20-minute meeting.

“Particular attention was reserved for the status of Jerusalem, underlining the importance of recognizing and preserving its identity and the universal value of the holy City for the three Abrahamic religions,” a Vatican statement said, referring to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

U.S. President Donald Trump outraged the Arab world last year when he reversed decades of policy by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel‘s capital and put Washington’s embassy there. It was opened in May.

Palestinians, with broad international backing, want eastern Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state, while Israel views the whole city its “united and eternal” capital.

The Vatican expressed concern last year at Trump’s move, saying the city’s “status quo” should be respected. Francis has called for all to honor UN resolutions on the city.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Abbas briefed the pope on “the implications of the US decision.”

As Abbas was leaving the library, he told the pope: “We are counting on you.” It was not clear what he was referring to.

The Vatican backs a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both sides agreeing on the status of Jerusalem as part of the peace process.

The statement said Abbas and the pope also discussed efforts to reactivate the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and hoped for “a renewed commitment on the part of the international community to meet the legitimate aspirations of both peoples.”

They also urged an end to “extremism and fundamentalism” in the Middle East, and called for reconciliation among Palestinian factions. Abbas’ Fatah party is dominant in the West Bank, while the Islamist group Hamas controls Gaza.

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Zeman will open the “Czech House” in Jerusalem, “a precursor” to the transfer of the Czech Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

By Jack Gold, World Israel News

President Milos Zeman of the Czech Republic, who arrived with his wife Ivana Zemanova in Israel on Sunday for a three-day state visit, will formally open the “Czech House” in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

The “Czech House” is considered by Prague as a “first step” toward relocating the country’s embassy to Jerusalem.

“Although this institution will not have a diplomatic status, Zeman sees it as a precursor to the transfer of the Czech Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” a statement by the Czech parliament said.

The Czech president is a strong proponent of the relocation of his country’s embassy to Jerusalem.

In late April, Zeman announced a “three-stage” plan to relocate the country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which included the reopening of its honorary consulate in Jerusalem the following month. The honorary consulate was first opened in the early 1990s but closed in 2016 due to the death of the honorary consul.

The Czech Foreign Ministry has downplayed Zeman’s intentions regarding the embassy move.

“The Czech Republic fully respects common policy of the European Union, which considers Jerusalem as the future capital of both the State of Israel and the future State of Palestine,” the Czech foreign ministry said following Zeman’s announcement.

Czechs undecided on Jerusalem

In December 2017, Zeman accused the European Union (EU) countries of being cowardly in their response to President Donald Trump’s historic recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“The European Union, cowards, are doing all they can so a pro-Palestinian terrorist movement can have supremacy over a pro-Israeli movement,” Zeman stated.

The Czech leader said he was happy about Trump’s announcement and that he had himself spoken in favor of moving the Czech embassy to Jerusalem during a visit four years ago.

The Czech Republic recognized western Jerusalem as the capital of Israel following Trump’s policy changes on the city.

According to a statement published by the Czech Foreign Ministry, the country “currently, before the peace between Israel and Palestine is signed, recognizes Jerusalem to be in fact the capital of Israel in the borders of the demarcation line from 1967.”

The Czech Republic added that, “together with other EU member states, following the EU Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions,” it “considers Jerusalem to be the future capital of both states, meaning the State of Israel and the future State of Palestine.”

The Czechs broke ranks with EU members who uphold a policy of not recognizing Jerusalem as the Jewish state’s capital without a final status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

Yet the Czech announcement differed from the US policy change in that Prague it conditioned the relocation of its Tel Aviv embassy to Jerusalem on the results of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, while Trump expressed his unconditional intent to move the American embassy.

The Czech government’s move on western Jerusalem follows the Czech Parliament’s approval of legislation in May 2017 that recognizes the city as Israel’s capital.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin will officially welcome his Czech counterpart to his official residence in Jerusalem on Monday.

JNS contributed to this report. 

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Abbas went on the offensive against US President Donald Trump and made vile accusations against Israel in his speech to the UN General Assembly.

By: JNS.org

Palestinian Authority (PA) leader Mahmoud Abbas went on the offensive against US President Donald Trump in his speech to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, harshly criticizing the American leader for his actions to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and aid cuts while at the same time praising Palestinian terror prisoners as “hero martyrs.”

“Jerusalem is not for sale, and the Palestinian people’s rights are not up for bargaining,” Abbas said as he opened his speech.

The Palestinian leader said that Trump has undercut the peace process by recognizing Jerusalem in December 2017.

“From the start of his tenure, from the same positive engagement, we welcomed his launching of the initiative of peace,” said Abbas. “We awaited his peace initiative with utmost patience. But we were shocked by his statements and actions that contradicted the aims of his administration in the peace process.”

The Palestinians have boycotted talks with the Trump administration over the last year as a result of the Jerusalem recognition. At the same time, Trump has retaliated on his own, cutting funding to UNRWA, the UN agency that handles Palestinian refugees, as well as direct funding to the PA and shuttering the Palestine Liberation Organization’s mission in Washington, D.C.

“It’s really ironic that the American administration still talks about what they call the ‘Deal of the Century.’ But what is left for this administration to give to the Palestinian people?” Abbas asked. “When they remove from the table Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees and security, what is left?”

Palestinians ‘never use violence’

The Palestinian leader also took aim at Israel, calling the recently passed nation-state law “racist,” and saying it will create an “apartheid state” that will diminish hopes for a two-state solution. He also declared that Palestinians “never use violence,” in contrast to Israeli “settlers.”

“We are resisting the Israeli occupation by legitimate means decided by international resolutions. Only peaceful means. We never use violence,” he said. “By contrast, settlers use arms against our people. We will continue to reject violence and use of weapons.”

Abbas also praised Palestinian terrorist prisoners in Israeli jails as “our hero martyrs and prisoners of war.”

The United States and Israel have both passed legislation this year that deducts monies to the PA for its support of terrorists and their families.

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Abbas recalled his ambassador in Washington in response to the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

By: World Israel News Staff

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas summoned his Washington envoy, Husam Zomlot, back to the Palestinian-run territories on Tuesday.

“When they (the US administration) opened their embassy in Jerusalem, there was a need for a decision from our side, and this was our decision,” Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki stated.

The relationship between Ramallah and Washington has deteriorated over the past year and especially since December, when President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

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In appreciation to Guatemala for moving its embassy to Jerusalem, the Old City walls were illuminated with the country’s flags.

By: World Israel News Staff

Ahead of the opening ceremony for the Embassy of Guatemala in Jerusalem on Wednesday morning and in celebration of the dedication of the US Embassy on Tuesday, the Old City walls were illuminated with flags of Guatemala, the US and Israel.

The decorations included a message of appreciation to Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales Cabrera.

“Guatemalan Embassy, welcome home! Ahead of the inauguration of the embassy, we have illuminated the walls of the Old City with the flags of Guatemala and Israel,” Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat stated on Wednesday.

“I thank President Jimmy Morales Cabrera of Guatemala for his courageous decision and am honored that we will be opening the embassy in the capital of Israel tomorrow. I call upon other countries to join the United States and Guatemala – do the right thing and bring your embassies to the Jerusalem, our eternal capital!”

The embassy is located in Jerusalem’s Malha Technological Park.

Morales and his wife Patricia and Foreign Minister Sandra Jovel are in Jerusalem for the occasion. The Guatemala delegation will be hosted at the King David Hotel later in the evening, followed by a dinner with Prime Minister Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu at the prime minister’s residence.

Barkat had also issued a statement of appreciation to US President Donald Trump for bringing the US embassy to Jerusalem, its “rightful home.”

Trump’s “courageous” move will bring a chain reaction, as other countries are now following suit, he said.

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The messianic Christian atmosphere at the Jerusalem US Embassy dedication was ‘disturbing,’ says Zionist Union Chairman Avi Gabbay.

By: World Israel News Staff  

Avi Gabbay, who heads the Zionist Union, Israel’s largest opposition party, said Tuesday that the “messianic Christian atmosphere” during Monday’s US Embassy dedication in Jerusalem was “disturbing.”

“It was a joyous day of celebration for our Jerusalem,” Gabbay told Army Radio. “But the messianism of the two pastors who spoke was not for me.”

Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel, delivered the benediction at the ceremony.

“We thank you, O Lord, for President Donald Trump’s courage in acknowledging to the world a truth that was established 3,000 years ago — that Jerusalem is and always shall be the eternal capital of the Jewish people,” Hagee said.

Robert Jeffress, a Southern Baptist, said a prayer at the embassy opening.

“We come before you, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, thanking you for bringing us to this momentous occasion in the life of your people and in the history of our world,” Jeffress said on Monday.

Jeffress went on to praise the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Trump.

“We want to thank you for the tremendous leadership of our great president, Donald J. Trump. Without President Trump’s determination, resolve and courage we would not be here today,” he said.

“And I believe I speak for everyone of us when I say I thank you every day that you have given us a president who boldly stands on the right side of history but more importantly stands on the right side of you, O God, when it comes to Israel,” Jeffress added.

Minister Elkin: ‘Nothing disturbing’

In contrast to Gabbay, Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Ze’ev Elkin said there was nothing disturbing or undue about Hagee’s and Jeffress’s speeches.

“It was an American ceremony and the US is a very Christian nation,” Elkin, an Orthodox Jew, said.

“The evangelicals are very important to Israel. They make up a big group among the Republicans who are very influential on the positive outlook toward support for Israel.

“Judaism is not a religion that tries to proselytize,” Elkin explained. “The people who were at the ceremony were Christians, and the fact that they brought pastors is understandable.”

Both Hagee and Jeffress have in the past made controversial statements about Jews. An audio from one of Hagee’s sermons in the 1990s – which seemed to suggest that Adolf Hitler had been fulfilling God’s will by aiding the desire of Jews to return to Israel in accordance with biblical prophecy – was leaked a few years ago.

In response to a tweet by former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney blaming Jeffress for saying that “you can’t be saved by being a Jew,” Jeffress tweeted, “Historic Christianity has taught for 2,000 years that salvation is through faith in Christ alone. The fact that I, along with tens of millions of evangelical Christians around the world, continue to espouse that belief is neither bigoted nor newsworthy.”

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Education Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the Bayit Yehudi party, has a message for critics of the US Embassy opening in Jerusalem.

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Koftan Halabi, chairman of the Druze Veterans’ Association, participated in the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem Monday and discussed his “excitement as a fighter for Israel against BDS around the world.”

Exclusive to World Israel News

According to Israel’s Jewish and Druze Public Council, “The covenant of life and blood between the Druze sector and the Jewish people in Israel began even before the State of Israel was established. Lately, the need has arisen to implement and strengthen the covenant among the second generation on both sides due to the growing erosion of the recognition of its importance to both the Druze and Jewish sectors. This concerns the Druze contribution to the establishment of the State of Israel and its strategic significance for the security and strength of the state and society.”

Koftan Halabi, chairman of the Druze Veterans’ Association, who represents “a new generation,” quoted that statement to World Israel News and issued his own regarding the US Embassy move to “Jerusalem, Israel’s eternal capital,” on Monday. Following is his official statement:

Thanking Trump ‘from the depths of our heart’

“It’s a historic moment. President Trump is making history. We thank him from the depths of our heart for his courageous decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital and to transfer [the embassy] to Jerusalem.

“During these difficult days with the Palestinians, the soldiers of our sector are doing everything they can to protect Israel’s security. Throughout the history of the State of Israel, the Druze have constituted an exemplary example of enlistment in the IDF, with high motivation and willingness to serve in significant roles during their mandatory service and also if they stay on for a career in the army.

“The IDF believes that the integration of Druze youth in different units will strengthen the years-long relationship between the community and the State and will produce even more significant successes and achievements as time goes on. In addition, it will enable a broader development path towards command-level [appointments] and becoming officers at all levels, with a wider range of duties allowing for their integration and development in a variety of positions.”

‘Our friendship will grow further’

“Our covenant grew stronger during the days of the birth pangs of the state, in the friendship that was woven between the Druze in the Land of Israel and its Jewish inhabitants,” he continued. “The then-leader of the National Committee, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi (later the second president of Israel), wrote in a letter to the Jewish Agency: ‘The heads of the community parted with me with great friendship… They emphasized several time … that they believed that our friendship will grow further.’”

Translated from Hebrew by Batya Jerenberg

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President Donald Trump declared Monday a “great day” for Israel as his top aides celebrated the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

By: AP and World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, along with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, led the US delegation at the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem with a single message: Only Trump had the courage to act on what America has wanted for a long time.

“While presidents before him have backed down from their pledge to move the American Embassy once they were in office, this president delivered. Because when President Trump makes a promise, he keeps it,” Kushner said.

In a video address that aired at the ceremony’s opening, Trump said the move to Jerusalem had been a “long time coming.” He said he remained committed to “facilitating a lasting peace agreement” and that he was “extending a hand of friendship to Israel, the Palestinians and to all of their neighbors.”

Trump also alluded to the US’ status as the first nation 70 years ago to recognize Israel’s very existence.

“Almost immediately after declaring statehood in 1948, Israel designated the city of Jerusalem as its capital, the capital the Jewish people established in ancient times, so important. Today, Jerusalem is the seat of Israel’s government,” he said.

“Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to declare its own capital, yet for many years we failed to acknowledge the obvious, the plain reality that Israel’s capital is Jerusalem.

“The United States remains committed to facilitating a lasting peace agreement,” Trump added, making reference to the efforts underway by administration officials to hammer out an accord with the Palestinians, who walked away from negotiations not long after Trump took office and have yet to return.

The president reiterated America’s commitment to “maintain the status quo” at Jerusalem’s holy sites, referring to the Temple Mount, where Jews are currently forbidden from praying by the Islamic trust that oversees the site.

Earlier in the morning on Twitter, Trump urged people to watch the ceremony on television, declaring the day “A great day for Israel!” As the ceremony began, he wrote: “Big day for Israel. Congratulations!”

Likewise, Trump’s aides echoed the president’s message, with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin telling Fox News, “The president is making difficult decisions because they are what he believes are the right long-term decisions and not just kicking the can down the road.”

“It’s not coincidental” that the embassy move coincided with Trump’s announcement that he planned to abandon the Iran nuclear deal, Mnuchin addedw.

Also on hand were Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, Dean Heller of Nevada and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

“Of all the things President Trump could have done, doing this [embassy move] is the strongest signal he could send to the Israeli people,” South Carolina’s Graham said.

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This is “a great day for Israel, it’s a great day for America, but I believe it’s also a great day for peace,” Netanyahu stated at the historic US Embassy opening in Jerusalem.

By: Adina Katz, World Israel News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a standing ovation for his moving address at the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, thanking President Donald Trump for his courage and declaring that Jerusalem, the ancient Jewish capital, will always remain the capital of Israel.

“President Trump, you have made history,” Netanyahu declared. “Thank you, President Trump, for having the courage to keep your promises.”

The prime minister recalled, as a young boy, not being able to walk close to the eastern section of the city for fear of snipers from Jordan. Between 1948 and 1967, when Israel won the Six Day War and reunified Jerusalem, the city was under Jordanian rule and Jews were prohibited from visiting their holiest sites.

“Today,” Netanyahu continued, “the embassy of the most powerful nation on earth is right here…

” We are here in Jerusalem and we are here to stay.”

The Israeli leader stressed his position, and that of the Trump administration, that recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital is not an obstacle to peace; rather, it could help bring peace.

This is “a great day for Israel, it’s a great day for America, but I believe it’s also a great day for peace,” Netanyahu stated.

‘A peace built on lies will crash’

“You can only build peace on truth. A peace built on lies will only crash on the rocks of Middle Eastern realities. And the truth is that Jerusalem has been, and always will be, the capital of the Jewish people, the capital of the Jewish state,” he said.

Netanyahu saluted the IDF soldiers and all members of Israel’s security forces for defending the Jewish state.

He also thanked the Trump administration for “making the alliance between America and Israel stronger than ever,” and singled out Ambassador David Friedman for “bringing our countries and people closer together.”

“You are the first American ambassador to serve your country in Jerusalem. This is your distinct honor. Nobody can be first again,” he said.

Netanyahu concluded by quoting the Prophet Zecharia, in English in Hebrew, who 2,500 years ago called Jerusalem “the city of truth,” and then recited the “Shehecheyanu” prayer of thanksgiving for having reached this day.

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Israeli Harley bikers got together to ride in support of Trump’s US embassy move to Jerusalem.

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