The United States is expected to move cautiously on President Donald Trump's pledge to relocate its embassy in Israel.

On Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer insisted no decision had been made over moving the embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

"We're at the very early stages of that decision-making process," Spicer told reporters.

Spicer later said that the Trump administration was going to "continue to consult with stakeholders as we get there."

Trump told CNN in March that moving the embassy would happen "very quickly."

CNN's Oren Liebermann, who is based in Jerusalem, walks us through what's at stake.



So why is moving the embassy such a big deal?


If the United States moved the embassy to Jerusalem, it would mean that the US effectively recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. That would overturn 70 years of international consensus, and, many argue, would effectively signal the end of moves to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians.



Give me some history...


The United Nations partition plan drawn up in 1947 envisaged Jerusalem as a separate "international city." But the war that followed Israel's declaration of independence one year later left the city divided. When fighting ended in 1949, the armistice border -- often called the Green Line because it was drawn in green ink -- saw Israel in control of the western half, and Jordan in control of the eastern half, which included the famous Old City.

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When did that change?


During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel occupied East Jerusalem. Since then, all of the city has been under Israel's authority. The city marks "Jerusalem Day" in late-May or early-June. But Palestinians, and many in the international community, continue to see East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.



Have any countries ever had their embassy in Jerusalem?


Yes. Before 1980 a number of countries, like the Netherlands and Costa Rica, did.



Right. So what happened?


In July of 1980, Israel passed a law that declared Jerusalem the united capital of Israel. The United Nations Security Council responded with a resolution condemning Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem and declared it a violation of international law.



So countries moved their embassies out of the city?


Correct. In 2006, Costa Rica and El Salvador were the last to move their embassies out of Jerusalem, joining the rest of the world in locating their embassies in Tel Aviv.



What about consulates?


Some countries do maintain consulates in Jerusalem, including the United States, which has one in the western part of the city. Other countries -- such as Britain and France for instance -- have a consulate in the eastern part of the city, which serve as their countries' main representation in the Palestinian territories.



Just to be clear: What is America's position?


The US has never had its embassy in Jerusalem. It has always been in Tel Aviv, with the Ambassador's residence in Herzliya Pituach, about 30 minutes north.



That sounds pretty straightforward...


Wait a minute, it gets more complicated. In 1989, Israel began leasing to the US a plot of land in Jerusalem for a new embassy. The 99-year lease cost $1 per year. To this day, the plot has not been developed, and it remains an empty field.



OK. Keep going...


In 1995, the US Congress passed a law requiring America to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Proponents said the US should respect Israel's choice of Jerusalem as its capital, and recognize it as such.



So why hasn't the embassy moved yet?


Every president since 1995 -- Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama -- has declined to move the embassy, citing national security interests. Every six months, the president has used the presidential waiver to circumvent the embassy move. The next time it will come up for review is May.



What are Trump's options if he goes ahead with the embassy move?


The first is to make use of the undeveloped plot that the US has been leasing since 1989. Or the US could turn its existing consulate in Jerusalem into the embassy. A final option might be to leave the embassy in Tel Aviv, but have the new US Ambassador to Israel do his day-to-day work in Jerusalem.

MORE: Trump pushes US embassy move in Israel amid outcry



How have Israelis responded to this?


The Israeli government has lauded Trump's pledge to follow through with the embassy move. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has been perhaps the most outspoken advocate, launching a campaign just days before the US President's inauguration, urging him to make good on his promise.



And what do the Palestinians make of it all?


Palestinian leaders are adamant that an embassy move to Jerusalem would be a violation of international law, and a huge setback to peace hopes. President Mahmoud Abbas has turned to other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Jordan's King Abdullah, to help pressure Trump to change his mind. The Palestine Liberation Organization has suggested it would consider revoking its recognition of Israel, and canceling all agreements between Israelis and Palestinians, should the move take place. More immediately, there are fears it could set off a wave of unrest -- perhaps even street protests and violence -- in the Palestinian territories and across the Arab world.

The powerful Iraqi Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, warned Tuesday in a statement on his website that the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem is a declaration of open war against Islam. He called for the closure of the Israeli and US embassies in Islamic countries.

 

This should turn out well.

 

Im not sure how i feel about this... Mixed feelings on this one.. I like a big FTW to all the arab nations, but at what cost? Is it worth it? I would rather see us work on our own issues than kicking up dirt somewhere else.

 

I honestly would have loved to tell that self righteous a-hole Kerry. This is an A:Isreal B: Palestine conversation, so C: your way out

 

It's the mideast.
Where the smallest slight, imagined or real, can become a reason to kill and maim.
For thousands of years.
Trump would do well to stand back and remember "America First" on this topic.
Nothing good can come of this.

 

Trump may want to open two embassies in Jerusalem.


Nah. The Palestinians would think that made them legitimate and piss off the Israelis. Obama has already fed enough fuel to those fires.

 

Don't piss off the Jordans they have very good working relations with the US military.

The Palestinians who gives a fuck.

 

Moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem is one of several issues where I agree with Donald Trump.

I also approve of Trump's choice of U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman. He is a hard line Zionist. Like me, he favors continued Jewish settlement in the occupied territories, and he is opposed to a two state solution.

I want the Palestinians to be pushed out of the occupied territories. If they respond violently I want the Israelis to respond with a terrifying and thorough violence.

 

Why did Obama give 221 million bucks to the Palestinians his last day in office and what was it for?
You are a big Obama man ---figured you would know.....

 

From what I understood. It was for their failing infrastructure. But I very well may be wrong on that.

 

Help support their cause for an Israeli genocide.

 

If you read my comments with better reading comprehension you would know that I like Barack Obama, and voted for him in 2008 and 2012, but I do not agree with him on everything.

During the 2008 presidential campaign Joe Biden told a Jewish organization, "When Barack Obama is elected president, Israel will have a friend in the White House."

Israel needs friends because Israel is surrounded by barbarians who want to destroy Israel and kill all the Jews there.

I appreciate the fact that President Obama increased U.S. financial support for Israel from three billion a year to four billion.

 

Black September (Arabic: أيلول الأسود‎‎; aylūl al-aswad) refers to the conflict that was fought between the Palestine Liberation Organisation(PLO), under the leadership of Yasser Arafat, and the Jordanian Armed Forces, under the leadership of King Hussein primarily between 16 and 27 September 1970, with certain actions continuing until July 1971.[5]

The civil war determined if Jordan would be ruled by the Palestine Liberation Organisation or the Hashemite monarchy.[6] The war resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, the vast majority Palestinian.[3]Armed conflict ended with the expulsion of the PLO leadership and thousands of Palestinian fighters to Lebanon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_September

I don't think the Jordanians care what happens to the Palestinians. I know I don't.

 

So Farty-Pants also wants to stir up trouble in the middle east? There's a surprise.

Fucking colossal dimwit.

M

 

I just don't see the sense in stirring up a hornets nest in the middle east.
Hasn't america generated enough hatred in that area ?
Haven't they had enough fuckups without provoking more unnescassary shit ?
Dose America really need to prove they don't understand how things work in that part of the world ?
or were Iraq , Syria , Libya etc. not enough ?

I have no sympathy for the Palestinians in their stupid ongoing shit with Israel.
They have been their own worst enemy for decades ,
but to provoke more shit , is just a no brainer ,
and the Palestinians are experts at no brainer's .
Why feed that ?
and
to achieve what ?

 

Got to hand it to Jordan. The Jordanians drove the Palestinians out and have kept them out without any criticism from the rest of the world.

The Palestinians real homeland is south west Jordan....

 

Hummus is likely to hit the fan...

 

Believe this is a bad idea. It will probably happen. Trump without saying anything has approved the expansion of Isreal into the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Will see if the UN comes down on that

Thank the British for this mess.

Trump already froze the transaction of $221 million approved by Congress in 2015 for the Palistinians. Looking to review how much to send if anything.

 

Next Monday is the day. There are movements on the ocean already.

 

Trump clearly stated during the campaign cycle that as president he would try to forge a lasting peace in Israel, first and foremost by abandoning the two state narrative.

Ultimately the Jews and the Moslems have to get along and live together. The Palestinians and Jews can live together in Israel.