US President Donald Trump is about to make good on his pledge in December when he broke with decades of precedent and recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Monday’s embassy inauguration comes at a particularly hostile time. Tension is high after weeks of deadly protests along the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel and Israel’s retaliation attack against Iranian sites in Syria.
Israeli and US forces in the region are now bracing for violence as both nations prepare for the grand opening of the new American embassy in Jerusalem; fulfilling years of empty promises and highlighting the close relationship between the two countries.
According to Hannity.com:
US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan will be in attendance, as will President Trump’s daughter Ivanka alongside her husband and senior Trump advisor Jared Kushner.
Yahoo News reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu views the “historic” decision to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv as a catalyst for other nations to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; a move vehemently opposed by the United Nations.
“I must tell you that the bold decision by President Trump has prompted other countries, quite a few now, who are planning to move their embassy to Jerusalem as well,” Netanyahu said last month.
The opening comes as tensions in the region reached an all-time high this week, after Israeli forces struck the Iranian military operating inside Syria; killing at least 23 fighters.”
