Pompeo: US Ambassador's residence in Jerusalem officially open
In December 2017, the White House officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday declared the official opening of the Ambassador's residence at Washington's recently established Jerusalem embassy, marking the official completion of the process of moving its diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv.
"On May 14, 2018, the US Embassy in Jerusalem officially opened," Pompeo's statement read, announcing the completion of the Ambassador's residence in cooperation with the Israeli government.
"On December 6, 2017, President Trump boldly decided to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and ordered the State Department to transfer the American Embassy to Jerusalem. Today we proudly declare that we are continuing to implement the decision," Pompeo concluded.
The status of Jerusalem is a central issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both sides claiming the city as their capital. The White House's announcement at the end of 2017 sent shock waves throughout the region and prompted Palestinians to freeze diplomatic relations with the US and repeatedly condemn the move.
Most of the international community does not formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and several world powers expressed concern about how the embassy's opening would affect stability in the region.
Several peace plans have unraveled over the issue of how to divide sovereignty or oversee sites in the city that are holy for Christians, Jews and Muslims.
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