Today, President Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
In his speech from the White House, Trump noted that 70 years ago President Truman recognized the state of Israel and said that Jerusalem is the seat of the modern Israeli government, the home of the Knesset as well as the Israeli Supreme Court.
“Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital,” Trump said, adding that U.S. acknowledgement of this as fact “is a necessary condition for achieving peace.”
Consistent with the Jerusalem Embassy Act — which “passed Congress by an overwhelming bipartisan majority and was reaffirmed by a unanimous vote of the Senate only six months ago,” the president said — the U.S. Department of State is preparing to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“This will immediately begin the process of hiring architects, engineers and planners so that a new embassy, when completed, will be a magnificent tribute to peace,” Trump said.
He said that Vice President Pence will soon travel to the region to work with U.S. partners there.
“Above all,” Trump said, “our greatest hope is for peace, the universal yearning in every human soul. With today’s action, I reaffirm my administration’s longstanding commitment to a future of peace and security for the region.
Below are key quotes from President Trump’s December 6 speech and recent remarks by other U.S. officials:
