JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who had been closemouthed on the contentious question of moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, noted Sunday that it “needs to be here.’’
But he pointedly did not demand that President Trump immediately follow through on his campaign promise to move the embassy — made by many presidential nominees since the 1970s but never fulfilled.
“Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and it is proper that not only should the American Embassy be here, but all embassies should come here,’’ Netanyahu said before his weekly Cabinet meeting. “And I believe that, over time, most of them will indeed come here, to Jerusalem.’’
The issue seemed to be put off when Trump told Fox News last week it was “too early’’ to discuss any move. “I don’t want to talk about it yet,’’ he said.
The announcement of such a move had seemed imminent after Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20. Officials told the media to expect news on the embassy, and Trump, on the eve of his swearing-in, said, “You know I’m not a person who breaks promises.’’
But Palestinian and other Arab leaders spoke against a move, saying it would amount to formal recognition of Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, after its capture from Jordan in the Arab-Israeli War of 1967.
Palestinian leaders said they’d revoke recognition for Israel, and leaders on both sides worried about violence.
Israel considers the entire city its capital, and Palestinians demand that East Jerusalem be the capital of a future state.
No embassies are in the city. Most, including the US Embassy, are in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv, and most world leaders say they will make no moves unless the two sides negotiate a deal on the status of Jerusalem.
While many Israelis say they would like to see the embassy in Jerusalem, few count it high among their priorities, and many say it is not worth risking violence now. Netanyahu has said almost nothing on the issue since Trump made his promise during the campaign to move the embassy.
The question of Israeli building in areas beyond the lines of the 1967 war was one of the most contentious in Netanyahu’s difficult relationship with President Barack Obama.
Netanyahu is expected to visit Trump in Washington next month.
