The Biden administration plans to keep the U.S. embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, upholding a controversial decision by former President Donald Trump.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that he recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The interview was followed by the release of a CQ Roll Call report Tuesday that cited an unnamed Biden administration source saying that the U.S. will not move the embassy out of Jerusalem, despite Palestinian opposition.
A flag flutters outside the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv August 4, 2013. President Barack Obama’s top national security advisers met at the White House on Saturday to discuss the potential threat of terrorist attacks that caused Washington and its allies to issue travel warnings and close embassies throughout the Middle East. REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL – Tags: POLITICS) – RTX12A28
“The ultimate status of Jerusalem is a final status issue which will need to be resolved by the parties in the context of direct negotiations.”
In his interview with Blitzer, Blinken was asked directly if he recognizes Israel as the capital of Israel.
“I do, yes,” the secretary responded. “And more importantly, we do.”
Blinken was asked if he would support Palestine locating its capital in East Jerusalem as part of a potential peace agreement.
“What we have to see happen is for the parties to get together and negotiate these so-called final status issues,” he said.
The Biden administration’s confirmation comes days after the Senate voted 97-3 in favor of a congressional budget amendment that kept the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.
TOPSHOT – US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (C-L) claps as US President’s daughter Ivanka Trump unveils an inauguration plaque during the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018. The United States moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem after months of global outcry, Palestinian anger and exuberant praise from Israelis over President Donald Trump’s decision tossing aside decades of precedent. / AFP PHOTO / Menahem KAHANAMENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images
The status of Jerusalem has been a major point of contention during the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with each side making claims to the ancient city as their rightful capital.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke at the ceremony opening the embassy, told then-President Trump that “by recognizing history, you have made history.”
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