US assures Palestinians: Embassy will stay in Tel Aviv

US President Donald Trump has reportedly responded to requests made by Jordan’s King Abdullah II that the United States refrain from moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, according to Arab media reports.

US President Donald Trump and King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein of Jordan during a joint press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, USA on April 5, 2017. ( Samuel Corum – Anadolu Agency )

The Trump administration reportedly informed the Palestinian Authority that the US would not be moving its embassy to Jerusalem, according to Palestinian daily Al-Quds.

Top American security officials within the Trump administration also spoke with the head of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service, Majid Faraj, to send “reassuring messages” on the issue of illegal settlements.

However some doubts on the recent reports have emerged following an interview given by Trump with the Hebrew daily Israel Hayom in which he said he had not yet made a decision on whether or not to relocate the embassy to Jerusalem.

I am thinking about the embassy, I am studying the embassy [issue], and we will see what happens. The embassy is not an easy decision. It has obviously been out there for many, many years, and nobody has wanted to make that decision. I’m thinking about it very seriously, and we will see what happens.

Jordanian and Egyptian foreign ministers met yesterday to discuss Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem during a meeting in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

Read: Arab efforts stopped plans to relocate US embassy to Jerusalem

According to Jordanian Foreign Minister, Ayman Al-Safadi, Israeli settlements and other issues relating to the conflict were discussed during King Abdullah’s recent visit to the US where he raised concerns about the embassy’s possible relocation.

Al-Safadi further explained:

In our view, Jerusalem is extremely important; our firm stance is that we reject any unilateral efforts that attempt to change the Arab, Muslim and Christian identity of the holy city. This stance has been clearly articulated by his majesty, and we have conveyed our viewpoint on the outcome of any decision that threatens the identity of Jerusalem clearly and honestly to the United States administration.