U.S. to move slowly on relocating embassy to Jerusalem

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The United States will move cautiously on transferring its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, senior administration sources said.

The symbolic move to Jerusalem remains a priority in the Trump administration, but it will not happen immediately, the source told CNN. No announcements will be forthcoming soon, although the issue will be among the first that senior adviser Jared Kushner and Israeli ambassador-designate David Friedman will face.

The U.S. Embassy is in Tel Aviv and not Jerusalem, on the premise that Jerusalem's future should be determined by a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians, each of whom regard the city as its capital. U.S. policy established in 1995 says the embassy should be in Jerusalem, but successive U.S. presidents have waived the matter on grounds of national security, arguing a move would prejudge the outcome of any Israeli-Palestinian agreement. The United States has supported a two-state solution to the conflict, but Friedman and President Donald Trump have questioned the policy; Trump promised to move the embassy to Jerusalem during his presidential campaign.

Trump spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and discussed "ways to advance and strengthen the U.S.-Israel special relationship, and security and stability in the Middle East," White House officials said. Trump did not say if moving the embassy was a topic during the discussion, but Netanyahu was invited to visit the White House in February.