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US envoy assures Israel that US will move embassy to Jerusalem

Monday, 13 November 2017 9:09 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 14 November 2017 3:13 AM ]

US ambassador to Israel David Friedman (L) and his wife Tammy are seen upon Trump's arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on May 22, 2017.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman says President Donald Trump will keep his promise to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds, indicating that Washington recognizes the city as the capital of Israel.

The American envoy made the comments Sunday evening at the Zionist Organization of America’s annual gathering in New York City.

"The president has also made clear that he intends to move the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It is not a question of if, it is a question of when. And I take the president at his word, and I'm personally committed to do all that I can to advocate for this move," he said.

During his 2016 campaign, Trump came up with the controversial proposal that caused a lot of discussions.

"The United States government treats Israel as it deserves to be treated - as a critical, strategic, and trusted ally in one of the world's toughest neighborhoods," Friedman said.

Obama committed ‘greatest betrayal of Israel’

Former US president Barack Obama speaks at the Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago, Illinois, November 1, 2017.

Palestinians oppose the move and have repeatedly warned Trump against such an action.

"I hope you agree with me that we have turned a page since the dark days of last December. Gone are the days when the United Nations bashes Israel with impunity," Friedman said.

He was referencing the US refusal to veto a Security Council resolution under former President Barack Obama, reversing Washington’s longstanding policy of shielding the Israeli regime from condemnatory resolutions at the world body.

"We came into office on the heels of perhaps the greatest betrayal of Israel by a sitting president in American history,” said Friedman, citing Resolution 2334.

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The current US envoy, who once served as the president of American Friends of Bet El Institutions, an institution supporting the illegal settlement of Bet El, also backed the US envoy to the United Nations, another pro-Israel figure in the US politics.

US Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley (R) arrives for a briefing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capital Hill on November 8, 2017 in Washington, DC.

"In Ambassador Nikki Haley, there is truly a new sheriff in town down the block in Turtle Bay," said the US ambassador to Israel.

Hailed as a “great friend to the Jewish people” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump has mended ties with Israel that had gone sour under Obama, in part due to his resolve to participate in nuclear negotiations with Tehran, which yielded a nuclear deal not welcomed by US regional allies, namely Israel and Saudi Arabia.