US will speed up plans to open Jerusalem embassy, Pence tells Knesset
US President Donald Trump will formalise his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital by transferring the US embassy there from Tel Aviv in 2019, Vice-President Mike Pence told the Israeli parliament. "In the weeks ahead our administration will advance its plan to open the US embassy in Jerusalem, and that United States embassy will open before the end of next year," Pence said in a speech on Monday to the Israeli Knesset, eliciting gasps of approval from the audience. Trump had directed the State Department to "immediately begin preparations" for the move, Pence said. The visit to Israel comes amid a boycott by Palestinian Authority officials, who want the eastern part of Jerusalem as their own capital and say Trump’s move has disqualified the US as a mediator. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was in Brussels on Monday, where he urged European Union countries to "swiftly" recognise a Palestinian state. Trump approach Earlier in the day, Pence had expressed confiden...
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