White House Begins Discussions on Moving Israel Embassy to Jerusalem

President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Washington, as discussions begin on possibly moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a move likely to enrage Palestine and the Muslim world. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in a statement Sunday that the administration was only “at the very beginning stages of even discussing this subject.” Authorities in Jerusalem reportedly took the White House’s comment to mean the embassy relocation was a done deal, however. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat was cited in local media saying the announcement “sent a clear message to the world that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the indivisible capital of the State of Israel.” The issue emerged when Trump ambassador nominee David Friedman proclaimed that he would move the embassy to “Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.” Palestinians, who view Jerusalem as their capital as well, have vehemently opposed any plans to move the embassy. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned this month that the move would have a “disastrous impact on the peace process.”