Senate Prods Trump to Move Israeli Embassy to Jerusalem
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The Senate overwhelmingly agreed on Monday night to nudge President Donald Trump to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (Al-Quds), a campaign promise that he punted on last week.
The Senate voted 90-0 on a resolution marking the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem's (Al-Quds) reunification. The measure includes language that "calls upon the president and all United States officials to abide by" a 1995 law that urged then-President Bill Clinton to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem (Al-Quds), Politico reported
Since that time, both Republican and Democratic presidents have issued six-month waivers of the law that allow them to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv.
Trump on Thursday became the latest chief executive to issue such a waiver, although his administration has vowed it will ultimately execute the politically thorny move. Moving the embassy would further complicate efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East and would enrage the United States' Arab allies.
"While we know that Israel continues to face a number of threats, bipartisan passage of this resolution will serve as yet another indication of the United States’ commitment to standing by our Israeli friends," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), chief sponsor of the Jerusalem resolution, said in a statement.
