President Trump said the United States is committed to a “lasting peace” in Israel as a White House delegation led by his daughter Ivanka attended the controversial ded♏ication of the US Emไbassy in Jerusalem.
“We are opening the embassy many, many years ahead of schedule. As I said in December, our greatest hope is for peace. The U.S. remains fully committed to facilitating a lasting peace agreement,” Trump told the gathering of dignitaries in Jerusalem on Monday in a videotaped message, making good on a campaign pledge.
“Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital,” the president said. “Yet for many years we failed to acknowledge the obvious, the plain reality that Israel’s capital is Jerusalem.”
He announced in December that he would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv — a decision that brought immediate outrage from Palestinians who claim East Jerusalem as their capital.
“Today we officially opened the United States Embassy in Jerusalem. Congratulations. It’s been a long time coming,” he said.
Moments after Trump’s video address, his daughter unveiled the dedication plaque and seal of the US Embassy.
“On behalf of the 45th president of the United States of America, we welcome you officially and for the first time to the Embassy of the United States here in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel,” she said as she stood next to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.
Underscoring the contentious decision to move the embassy, the Gaza Strip exploded in protests as scores of Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli troops as they t𒊎ried to storm the border.
Outside the new embassy in Jerusalem, demonstrators rallied, waving Palestinian flags and shouting, “With our blood and tears we will redeem you, Palestine.”
Ten people were arrested, the Israeli newspaper .
The Arab League called for an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss the “illegal” US Embassy, and the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation called the move an “attack on the historical, legal, natural and national rights of the Palestinian people.”
Speaking at the dedication ceremony, Ivanka Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner, whom President Trump has charged with brokering a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians, said the protesters were “part of the problem.”
“As we hav🦩e seen from the protests of the last month and even today, those provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of t🦄he solution,” he said.
Kushner praised his father-in-law for following through on his pledge to move the embassy and said Trump’s actions have increased the trust between the two countries.
“By moving our embassy to Jerusalem, we have shown the world once again that the US can be trusted,” he said. “We stand with our friends and our allies, and above all, we’ve shown that the US will do what’s right, and so we have.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded Trump and remarked on🌌 the historical significance of the moment.
“What a glorious day. Remember this moment!” Netanyahu told the jubilant crowd. “President Trump, by recognizing history, you have made history. All of us are deeply moved. All of us are deeply grateful.”
Back in Washington, Senate Minority Leader Chuck 🍎Schumer gave Trump a rare salute.
“In a long overdue move, we have moved our embassy to Jerusalem,” the New York Democrat said in a statement. “Every nation should have the right to choose its capital. I sponsored legislation to do this two decades ago, and I applaud President Trump for doing it.”