U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a waiver postponing the relocation of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the White House said Thursday in a statement.
The White House said Trump made the decision to "maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, fulfilling his solemn obligation to defend America's national security interests."
The move should not be considered "in any way" as a retreat from Trump's "strong support for Israel and for the United States-Israel alliance," the statement added.
The White House reiterated Trump's intention to move the embassy, saying that "the question is not if that move happens, but only when."
Trump pledged in the campaign to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, sparking strong reactions in Arab countries.
Despite the passage of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 by the U.S. Congress, which required the relocation of U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, former U.S. presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama consistently renewed a presidential waiver to delay the relocation on national security interests.
The status of Jerusalem remains one of the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So far, the international community has not recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and not a single foreign country has based its embassy in the city.
