Trump backs away from pledge to move U.S. embassy to Jerusalem

American and Israeli flags.
(Image credit: Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

President Trump on Thursday signed a waiver deferring the relocation of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. The waiver delays action required by a law Congress passed in 1995 that made it U.S. policy to move the diplomatic headquarters. Trump repeatedly promised to move the embassy to Jerusalem during his presidential campaign.

The location of the U.S. embassy is a symbolic struggle, as Jerusalem is claimed by both Jews and Arabs as a religious capital, while Tel Aviv is secular. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was "disappointed" by Trump's decision to delay the move, while Palestine said the deferral "gives peace a chance."

Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.