Trump Walks Back Netanyahu Optimism on Embassy Move

Those confused by President Trump’s willingness to trigger a maelstrom of criticism by announcing the US Embassy in Tel Aviv will be moved to Jerusalem but vagueness about when it will happen are no doubt scratching their heads after the US president walked back Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s optimistic assessment that the move could be completed within one year. When the announcement was made in December, members of the administration – including SecState Tillerson and the president himself – suggested timelines that ranged from four to seven years prompting residents of Jerusalem to wonder what’s up since the site chosen long ago for the embassy has been well known to residents of the capital since moving the diplomatic mission became law in 1995. On Wednesday, when the president was informed during an interview with the Reuters news agency that Netanyahu had told reporters in India that he expected it to happen within one year, President Trump was apparently surprised by the remark and said it ain’t so. That was reiterated by his staff on Thursday. Although predictions of mass rioting throughout the entire Arab world if the president would agree to move the embassy never manifested, the predictable response from the Palestinian Authority and its president, Mahmoud Abbas, was, indeed, forthcoming as expected and to date, is the reason given for announcing the PA’s refusal to participate in any peace efforts overseen by the United States.