Jerusalem, Israel — The United States and Israel signed a lease agreement Wednesday for land to build a permanent U.S. Embassy complex in Jerusalem, advancing a relocation process that began after Washington recognized the city as Israel’s capital in 2017.
The agreement allocates the Allenby Compound in southern Jerusalem for the future embassy complex. U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar signed the deal during a ceremony attended by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion.
The U.S. Embassy said the agreement marks the next step toward creating a permanent diplomatic headquarters in Jerusalem. The embassy currently operates from a temporary site after President Donald Trump moved it from Tel Aviv in 2018, breaking with decades of U.S. policy that treated Jerusalem’s final status as an issue for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
Israeli officials praised the deal as a sign of close U.S.-Israel ties. Palestinian advocates and some international observers oppose the move, arguing that embassy construction in Jerusalem further weakens prospects for a negotiated capital for a future Palestinian state.
The State Department has previously stated that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital while taking no position on the boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in the city.
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