Per Channel 2 News in Israel, an Israeli source says Trump’s ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, will begin work in a consulate building in Jerusalem. But the embassy will remain in Tel-Aviv:
#Breaking: Amb. David Friedman will work from Jerusalem from Day 1, out of consulate building. Embassy will remain in Tel Aviv @Channel2News
— Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) January 10, 2017
US Ambassador, but not embassy will move to Jerusalem, @Channel2News reports. Friedman will live & work out of existing Jerusalem consulate
— Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) January 10, 2017
Huge Trump backtrack? @Channel2News reports he won't move US embassy to Jerusalem but Amb. Friedman will live & work in Jerusalem consulate
— Raoul Wootliff (@RaoulWootliff) January 10, 2017
Israeli source: Trump will leave US Embassy in Tel Aviv, but Amb. David Friedman will work out of US Consulate in Jerusalem. https://t.co/b2TTJxww6x
— Guy Ziv (@ZivGuy) January 10, 2017
Here’s the tweet from Channel 2 News in Hebrew, which translated should say the same thing:
פרסום ראשון: במשרד החוץ טוענים שטראמפ מתכנן פשרה מפא"ניקית: השגרירות תישאר בתל אביב, השגריר דיוויד פרידמן יעבוד מהמתקן הקונסולרי בירושלים
— Yaron Avraham (@yaronavraham) January 10, 2017
I’m hoping that this is not a backtrack, but rather just the ambassador getting a head start in Jerusalem. Congress still needs to vote to make the move.
But if they do vote and Trump refuses to sign it, that will indeed be a backtrack.
I do like however that the ambassador will be working in Jerusalem. It’s a great start, but ultimately not enough if that is the only action we take with respect to the embassy in Tel-Aviv.