The mayor of Jerusalem announced on May 8, that he intends to name a public square near the soon-to-be-opened American Embassy in honor of President Donald Trump, according to the Jerusalem Press Office.
Though many U.S. presidents promised to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem, Trump was the first to keep his word. The embassy is scheduled to open on May 14.
Jerusalem plans to host an official event to celebrate the naming of the public square with American dignitaries. The site is located at the intersection of David Flusser Street and Kfar Etzion Street. The city’s naming committee greenlighted a new name for the square last year.
On May 8, Trump sided with Israel instead of his European allies and withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. Last week, Israel released voluminous evidence that Iran violated the deal. Jerusalem and Washington consider the Iranian regime the biggest obstacle to achieving lasting peace in the Middle East and defeating radical Islamic terrorism around the world.
“Jerusalem returns the love to Trump,” Barkat wrote on Facebook on May 8. “We have decided that the square adjacent to the embassy in the capital will be called ‘United States Square'—in honor of President Trump.”
On May 7, the White House announced the official delegation traveling to Jerusalem for the opening ceremony of the embassy.
The team will be led by Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and includes Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner. U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Assistant to the President Jason D. Greenblatt will also attend.
Israel cheered when Trump announced his intention to move the embassy to Jerusalem. Israel considers the city its capital, yet countries all over the world choose to locate their embassies elsewhere to assuage Palestinians, who believe East Jerusalem can become the capital of their future state.
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