The exterior of the U.S. Embassy building in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv is shown. | Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images Trump inches toward moving U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem The president promised during the campaign to support the move from Tel Aviv, but delayed it in June amid efforts to revive the Middle East peace process.

President Donald Trump and his senior aides are mulling a plan to eventually move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a decision that could derail Trump’s attempts to restart peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

A leading option under consideration: temporarily keeping the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv while also outlining a longer-term strategy to begin the process of moving the embassy to Jerusalem, according to two administration officials. The plan is meant to strike a middle ground on the politically treacherous issue.


One of the officials also said the administration is weighing whether to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Aides cautioned that the plan remains in flux and may change in the coming days. The president is not expected to announce a decision this week, despite a Friday deadline under a 1995 law to either issue a waiver allowing the embassy to remain in Tel Aviv rather than relocate to Jerusalem. A formal announcement is instead expected next week, according to administration officials.

A White House spokesman said: “The president has always said it is a matter of when, not if. The president is still considering options and we have nothing to announce.”

Trump’s top advisers are divided over moving the embassy, with some privately warning that such a decision could heighten tensions in the region. Other top aides, including Vice President Mike Pence, favor the move.

Global Translations A new podcast series from POLITICO. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The president is nonetheless inclined to relocate the embassy, according to several administration officials and outside advisers — a move that would fulfill a key campaign promise and satisfy a longtime priority among some Jews as well as evangelical Republican voters.

The internal debate is reminiscent of that over the Iran nuclear agreement, when Trump faced warnings from several advisers that decertifying the deal would spark an international uproar — but, in that case, the president ultimately followed his instincts and decertified it in October.

Trump is also facing pressure from world leaders, including Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who, in a visit to Washington this week, cautioned against moving the embassy in meetings with top Trump administration officials this week, arguing it could derail efforts to reach a peace agreement in the region.

The administration had worked up plans for an embassy move timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem in June. But Abdullah’s personal pleas persuaded the president to sign a waiver in June keeping the embassy in Tel Aviv. Abdullah told the president that a move could cause his regime to crumble, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

During the presidential campaign, Trump pledged to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. But he hesitated once he took office, raising concerns that the shift could complicate efforts led by his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner to strike a peace agreement in the region.

“I hope the president will act in accordance with his campaign promises to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” said Elliott Abrams, who oversaw Middle East policy under President George W. Bush. “He will hear the usual arguments against it that have been heard for decades: The Middle East will explode, there will be riots in 50 cities, and so on. I don’t believe that and I think it’s time for him to make the decision.”

Congress passed a law in 1995 mandating that the embassy be located in Jerusalem, but presidents have consistently overridden the law since then. The waiver Trump signed in June allowed the embassy to remain in Tel Aviv for six months, until Dec. 1.

On Wednesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders batted down reports in the international press saying Trump was about to announce the shift. “This is a premature report,” she said. “We have nothing to announce.”

Pence hinted at a decision to make the move earlier this week. “President Trump is actively considering when and how to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” Pence said in New York on Tuesday. Pence is scheduled to travel next month to Israel, where he’ll address the country’s governing body, the Knesset.