Tillerson: Israel embassy move both 'if' and 'when'
Trump signed a six-month waiver of a congressional requirement earlier this month compelling the embassy move. Tillerson said the administration plans to use that six months to review the policy.
By MICHAEL WILNERUpdated: JUNE 15, 2017 10:00Rex Tillerson(photo credit: REUTERS)
WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump has not decided whether to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, despite White House assurances that the move will occur in a matter of time, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday."He has not made that decision yet, to my knowledge," Tillerson told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.Trump signed a six-month waiver of a congressional requirement earlier this month compelling the embassy move. Tillerson said the administration plans to use that six months to review the policy.Trump delays moving US embassy to Jerusalem (credit: REUTERS)After issuing that waiver, the president's spokesman said he hoped to maximize his chances of rebooting peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. "The question is not if that move happens, but only when," Press Secretary Sean Spicer said on June 1.Israel unified Jerusalem fifty years ago during the Six Day War and considers the ancient city its eternal capital, but Palestinians say that parts of the city must be free of Israeli control in any future peace agreement.The Trump administration has not taken either side on the matter, although Trump campaigned for president on a promise to move the US embassy in Israel there.