Date of US Embassy Move to Jerusalem Confirmed

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

On December 6, Trump announced the move, ignoring longstanding international law, declaring Jerusalem an international city under a UN protectorate.

Israel wants it entirely Judaized for its exclusive capital, Palestinians shut out.

For Zionists, the city is politically important, calling it the historic Jewish capital, its national and religious center, as well as the symbol of Judaism's revival and prominence.

For Christians, it's where Jesus lived and died. For Muslims, it's their third holiest site (the Al-Aqsa Mosque) after Mecca's Sacred Mosque and the Mosque of the Prophet in Madina.

According to Israel's Channel 10, unnamed senior Israeli officials said the move will be made on May 14, the 70th anniversary of Israel's declared independence.

The Nakba commemorated annually on May 15 remembers the date historic Palestine was stolen, a time of infamy, following Israel's war without mercy.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced, many murdered in cold blood, countless women raped, other atrocities committed, homes and other property stolen - hundreds of urban neighborhoods, towns and villages destroyed.

The late Edward Said called what happened Palestine's "holocaust," its people as powerless and abused as Jews were under Hitler.

They continue enduring what he called "slow death." Others and I call it slow-motion genocide, moving America's embassy illegally to Jerusalem one of countless affronts against a long-beleaguered people.

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson offered to pay part of the cost of a US Jerusalem embassy. The legality of accepting private donations for official government buildings is unclear.

Corporations in America help subsidize construction of sports stadiums - in return for their names emblazoned on them.

If Adelson's offer is accepted, will it be in return for Washington's new diplomatic home in Israel called the US Sheldon Adelson embassy? Not likely but imagine the outrageous possibility.

On Thursday, Rex Tillerson reportedly approved a security plan for the move, details so far unrevealed.

It's unknown if a site was chosen. Temporary facilities would accommodate key US officials until construction of a new building is completed - most staff likely remaining at the Tel Aviv facility.

The project is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Washington's new London embassy cost around $1 billion - reportedly the most expensive US embassy ever constructed.

The State Department said it has "no confirmation or details" on the move. Its Foreign Affairs manual has information on accepting privately donated gifts, including real estate.

Accepting them requires assuring no "appearance of a conflict interest" - hard to do if privately donated money helps build a government building, especially a highly controversial one.

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