Netanyahu: US Embassy to Be Moved to Jerusalem 'Much Faster Than People Think'
TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he was expecting the United States to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, claimed by both Israel and Palestine, within a year.
However, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stressed in mid-December that the embassy was likely to be relocated no earlier than 2020, or even later.
"My confident assessment is that it will move much faster than people think, within a year from today," Netanyahu told reporters during his visit to India, as quoted by the Times of Israel newspaper.
US President Donald Trump promised in December to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate US embassy there. However, his move has sparked controversy across the world, especially in the Arab states.
Trump's move even prompted Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to reject the so-called "deal of the century," which is being prepared by the US president, adding that the US cannot be recognized as a mediator in the settlement of the conflict with Israel.
- Source : Sputnik
