Pence to Israel: US embassy will move to Jerusalem in 2019

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Pence to Israel: US embassy will move to Jerusalem in 2019

By KEN THOMAS and ARON HELLER
24 minutes ago

JERUSALEM (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence told Israel’s parliament on Monday that the U.S. embassy will move to Jerusalem by the end of 2019, receiving a rousing ovation as he pledged to barrel ahead with a plan that has set off weeks of unrest and thrown U.S. peace efforts into disarray.

The plan to accelerate the move of the embassy, announced in the first-ever address of a sitting American vice president to the Knesset, marked the highlight of Pence’s three-day visit to Israel celebrating President Donald Trump’s decision last month to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“The United States has chosen fact over fiction — and fact is the only true foundation for a just and lasting peace,” Pence said.

“Jerusalem is Israel’s capital and as such President Trump has directed the State Department to immediately begin preparations to move the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” he said adding the embassy “will open before the end of next year.”

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/b408e10184554cfa8ca5b6660d23bb1b/Pence-to-Israel:-US-embassy-will-move-to-Jerusalem-in-2019

[matt819]

1. Wanna bet?

I don't know what the consulate in Jerusalem is like, but an embassy is a much larger beast. Building an embassy or even converting the consulate is a massive proposition. (See also, American embassy London).

All that done in one year? I think not.

Next, by that time they're too close to 2020, and the pressure will be on to just hold on until the 2020 election, just in case things change.

Sure, this regime could barrel on through, but given its overall progress on other fronts (that is, almost none, except deportations), it's unlikely they can get it together to accomplish anything of note.

[oberliner]

2. The Jerusalem Embassy Act passed the House and Senate by huge bipartisan majorities

Seems like this move will happen eventually (maybe not in the time table claimed by Pence).

[matt819]

3. Don't care

Like much of what has happened so far and what will undoubtedly happen in the next few years, this will be reversed.

Or I'm wrong.

But that's what I think.

[oberliner]

4. Fair enough

My view is that the move is probably inevitable but will also probably take longer than predicted.

[aranthus]

5. And that gets the US what?

Even if the Arab/Muslim world does not react with violence, what does moving the embassy do for the US?