Trump White House lowers expectations for quick embassy move in Israel
JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump's team spoke often about moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. But since taking office, the contentious issue has become more nuanced and may already be moving to the backburner.
In a statement issued before a first post-inauguration phone call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and later reinforced at a White House news briefing, Trump's press secretary, Sean Spicer, lowered expectations of an imminent announcement of a move that could anger the Arab world.
"We are at the very beginning stages of even discussing this subject," Spicer wrote in an email on Sunday. "There's no decisions," he then told reporters on Monday.
Some Israeli news outlets and Israeli pro-settlement groups have taken it as a positive sign, interpreting the words of the new Trump White House as an indication that talks have begun on a move they long for, even if it could have profound repercussions for regional stability.
But Israeli officials said the issue was barely discussed on the 30-minute call, and diplomats said their understanding was that it was being pushed down the agenda, at least for now.
"Sounds more like walking it backwards," one Israeli official said in a text message after Spicer's statement.
Another said that during the call Netanyahu had not sought a commitment from Trump on the relocation or a timeframe for it.
The former spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry suggested Spicer's line was age-old diplomatic code for "not now". "This really means: 'Don't call us, we'll call you'" Yigal Palmor said on Twitter.
Netanyahu's spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
NO EMBASSY IN JERUSALEM
While the Israeli prime minister cannot be seen to oppose the United States moving its embassy to Jerusalem - Israel considers the city its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all countries to base their embassies there - there is an awareness that such a move could be destabilizing.
Currently, no country has its embassy in Jerusalem, the Israeli foreign ministry said. Costa Rica and El Salvador did until a few years ago, but they are now in Tel Aviv.
