Jerusalem’s mayor said Monday he was holding direct talks with the White House about President Trump’s plan to relocate the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to the Israeli capital — but some Israeli officials say the contentious issue may be on the back burner.

Noting that Trump plans on conducting hearings to discuss the controversial move, Mayor Nir Barkat called the president “a true friend of Israel who keeps his promises,” the Jerusalem Post reported.

“I congratulate President Trump and the historic message being sent by the White House by beginning hearings to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem,” Barkat said in a statement Monday.

“The announcement sends a clear message to the world that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel.”

But White House press secretary Sean Spicer emphasized Sunday before a first post-inauguration phone call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that such a deal is still in its “very beginning” stages.

Barkat is friendly with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, who he suggested could take on the monumental task of mediating peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Israeli officials said the relocation issue was barely discussed during the 30-minute call, and diplomats said they believed it was being moved down the agenda, at least for now, Reuters reported.

“Sounds more like walking it backwards,” one Israeli official said in a text message after Spicer’s statement.

Another official said that during the call, Netanyahu had not sought a commitment from Trump on the move — or a time frame for it.

“This really means: ‘Don’t call us, we’ll call you,’” Yigal Palmor, former spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said on Twitter.

Netanyahu’s lack of urgency may be based on Israel’s efforts to rebuild stronger relations with the Sunni Muslim world.

Washington maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv as do other countries, insisting that conflicting claims to Jerusalem must be worked out in direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, who want to have the capital of an independent Palestinian state in the eastern part of the city.

The Palestinians have warned against moving the embassy — a highly symbolic and politically charged act.

Jibril Rajoub, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, warned that moving the embassy would be tantamount to “a declaration of war against Muslims.”

“If someone on your side thinks it won’t have ramifications, they’re wrong,” he said, the Jerusalem Post reported. “This is a dangerous step, which will not bring stability to the region.”

Relocating the embassy also would likely prompt protests from US allies in the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, countries that Washington relies on for help in fighting ISIS, which Trump said is a top priority.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed the issue with King Abdullah of Jordan in Amman on Sunday. Palestinian officials said the king, who oversees the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, expressed concerns about any relocation.

Former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State John Kerry also have said a move could be explosive for the region.

In 1995, the US Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act with the intention to fund the relocation of the US Embassy no later than May 31, 1999. But presidents since then have signed waivers extending the legislation, citing national security concerns.

On Dec. 2, then-President Obama renewed a presidential waiver that delays plans to relocate the embassy until the beginning of June. It is unclear whether Trump would be able to legally override the waiver.

Despite the US legislation, US diplomats say that Washington’s foreign policy has been aligned with that of the United Nations and other major powers, which do not view Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and do not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem after the Six-Day War in 1967.

Incoming US Ambassador David Friedman has strongly backed an embassy move and said he plans on living in Jerusalem, where the US government has several buildings, including a consulate-general.