Trump won't attend Jerusalem embassy opening in May
When asked earlier in March whether he would be traveling to Israel for the opening of the embassy, Trump said he was "looking at coming."
By HERB KEINON, MICHAEL WILNERUpdated: MARCH 28, 2018 10:29United States President Donald Trump(photo credit: KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS)
President Donald Trump will not be attending the official move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem in May.There had been speculation that Trump would travel to Israel to participate in the opening of the embassy, scheduled for May 14 to mark Israel’s 70th anniversary.Trump himself fueled some of this speculation. Earlier this month, at a meeting in the White House with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he was asked whether he would come for the ceremonial opening of the embassy to be housed temporarily at the US Consulate building in Jerusalem.Opinions remain divided on US plan to move embassy to Jerusalem, February 26, 2018 (Reuters)“I am looking at coming, and if I can, I will,” Trump said.Trump, who visited Israel on his first trip abroad last May, said that regardless of whether he attended the opening, he would be coming back to Israel because it is “a very special country, special people, and I look forward to being there.”The Prime Minister’s Office did not reply when asked if it had received word that Trump would not be coming in May, and a US administration official said that “he [Trump] is not likely to go.”Michael Wilner contributed to this report.
