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Minister: I am concerned about decreasing US support for Israel

February 20, 2017 at 1:21 pm

Israel’s Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked today said she is losing sleep as a result of the reduction of support for Israel in the US’ Democratic Party.

Speaking at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations, Shaked said: “I am concerned about…decreasing support for Israel in the Democratic Party. I almost didn’t sleep at night after I saw a poll two weeks ago” of dropping support – calling the drop “a strategic issue for Israel.”

Read: Trump drops ‘two-state’ commitment

In spite of this, she believes that US President Donald Trump will succeed in honouring his pledge to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“The government expects President Trump will meet his obligations to his voters and move the [US] embassy to Jerusalem.”

Speaking only days after Trump deferred the issue of the embassy move in a major news conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, she said, “We are not worried about the hysterical message the Palestinians are trying to spread” against the embassy move.

I definitely think the embassy should move to Jerusalem and hope he will keep his promise.

While prior US presidents committed during electoral campaigns to moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Trump had made even more noise about moving the embassy. But like past presidents, he appears to have become more cautious after taking office and confronting the international opposition to an embassy move.

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