“The US embassy will move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by May 14, in honor of the 70th anniversary of Israel’s declaration of independence, according to [Israeli] Minister of Transportation and Intelligence Israel Katz,” the Jerusalem Post reported Friday.
The Israeli newspaper bases its report off a tweet from Katz:
I would like to congratulate Donald Trump, the President of the US @POTUS on his decision to transfer the US Embassy to our capital on Israel’s 70th Independence Day. There is no greater gift than that! The most just and correct move. Thanks friend!
— ישראל כץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) February 23, 2018
Reuters also ran a report Friday echoing the information about the move, and included that an unnamed “U.S. official who confirmed the embassy move from Tel Aviv said it would take place in May.”
Israel formally declared its independence and establishment as a Jewish state on May 14, 1948.
Last year, on December 6, President Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel and announced plans to move the American embassy there from its current location in Tel Aviv.
News of the embassy move comes on the same day that President Trump addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and emphasized his administration’s closeness to the American ally in the Middle East, to much applause:
“We officially recognized Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel” @realDonaldTrump #CPAC2018 #CPAC #ATimeForAction pic.twitter.com/0Sr6IVXBzs
— CPAC 2018 (@CPAC) February 23, 2018
