he incoming Trump administration intends to move ahead with its plans to move the embassy regardless of criticism from Arab nations.

CNN cited unnamed Israeli officials as speculating that the move could be announced as early as May 24, on the Israeli holiday "Jerusalem Day" that marks the reunification of the capital in the 1967 Six Day War.

The report emerged after Abbas sent a letter to Trump urging him not to relocate his country’s embassy in Israel when he assumes office.

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“The president asked the American president-elect to not take this step [moving the embassy], as it will have destructive consequences on the peace process, the two state solution and the safety and security of the region,” official PA news site Wafa reported on Monday, paraphrasing Abbas’s letter. Wafa did not specify exactly when the letter was sent to Trump.

Ariel Whitman and Adam Rasgon contributed to this report.