US signs agreement for permanent embassy in Jerusalem

The United States has signed an agreement to construct a new, permanent embassy compound in Jerusalem, a move Israel hailed as a testament to the "unbreakable alliance" between the two nations.

This development follows U.S. President Donald Trump's December 2017 decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the U.S. diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv. Until now, embassy services have been dispersed across several locations in Jerusalem.

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The United States not only recognises Jerusalem as the eternal, indigenous, and forever capital of the Jewish people, but also that the United States says that we’re going to do something about it.

During the signing ceremony at Israel's foreign ministry, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stated, "The United States not only recognizes Jerusalem as the eternal, indigenous, and forever capital of the Jewish people, but also that the United States says that we’re going to do something about it." He added, "We are going to plant our flag, our American flag, on the soil of Jerusalem for a permanent and a brand new embassy compound that will serve as our mothership of diplomatic activities here in Israel."

Huckabee further remarked, "I would say God made that decision 3,800 years ago, and we finally got around to acknowledging what had been determined long before the United States of America came along." The embassy will be built at the Allenby compound in southern Jerusalem.

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We are going to plant our flag, our American flag, on the soil of Jerusalem for a permanent and a brand new embassy compound that will serve as our mothership of diplomatic activities here in Israel.

Trump's 2017 decision marked a significant departure from decades of U.S. policy, which held that Jerusalem's final status should be determined through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Most countries had maintained their embassies in Tel Aviv, adhering to the international consensus that Jerusalem's status requires resolution through peace talks in line with international law and UN resolutions.

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I would say God made that decision 3,800 years ago, and we finally got around to acknowledging what had been determined long before the United States of America came along.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar emphasized that the agreement underscores the "unbreakable alliance" between the U.S. and Israel. He stated, "President Trump’s historic decision in 2017 to move the embassy to Jerusalem set the record straight. And today, with the agreement to begin building a permanent embassy complex, that decision becomes even deeper and more enduring."

Huckabee also posted on X, "Just as the US is vital and irreplaceable for Israel, Israel is vital for the US and its interests in the region." The embassy agreement follows a period of joint military operations between the U.S. and Israel against Iran and recent reported tensions between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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President Trump’s historic decision in 2017 to move the embassy to Jerusalem set the record straight. And today, with the agreement to begin building a permanent embassy complex, that decision becomes even deeper and more enduring.