WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Cruz and two fellow Republicans are pressing the State Department to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Congress passed legislation in 1995 that called for moving the embassy to Jerusalem, but Democratic and Republican administrations alike have declined to enact the change, citing security concerns. The latest measure, introduced Tuesday as the new Congress convened, would withhold funding from the State Department until it makes the move.

“Jerusalem is the eternal and undivided capital of Israel,” Cruz said in a written statement. “Unfortunately, the Obama administration's vendetta against the Jewish state has been so vicious that to even utter this simple truth — let alone the reality that Jerusalem is the appropriate venue for the American embassy in Israel — is shocking in some circles.

"But it is finally time to cut through the double-speak and broken promises and do what Congress said we should do in 1995: formally move our embassy to the capital of our great ally Israel.”

The measure is also sponsored by Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Dean Heller of Nevada.

During the campaign, President-elect Donald Trump vowed to move the embassy from Tel Aviv, where it has been for 68 years, to Jerusalem. Previous Republicans have made similar campaign promises in the past without following through.

Trump's choice for ambassador to Israel, bankruptcy attorney David Friedman, has said he supports moving the embassy to Jerusalem.

The dispute between Israel and the Palestinians over Jerusalem — which is home to sites sacred to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths — has been one of the thorniest between the two sides for decades.

A senior Palestinian official indicated this week that there will be a new violent uprising if the U.S. Embassy is relocated to Jerusalem.