Special Meeting in Israel Regarding the Promise to Move the US Embassy to Jerusalem

Israeli media reported on Sunday, January 22, that the security and military agencies of the country have informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of their assessments regarding the events following a potential US move to transfer its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (Al-Quds). According to these reports, officials from internal security, the army, and the Israeli police have presented their separate evaluations to Netanyahu. Haaretz wrote that simultaneously, Netanyahu held a special meeting in recent days with the participation of the ministers of defense, internal security, and commanders of the army, police, and internal security organization in anticipation of Donald Trump's promise to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. This meeting on Friday, January 20, examined Israel's readiness to deal with the possibility of unrest from the Palestinians. Donald Trump, the new President of the United States, emphasized during his election campaign that "Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people and should never be divided" and promised to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, in the days leading up to Trump's presidential inauguration, sent him three messages asking him to refrain from moving the embassy to "Al-Quds" (Jerusalem), but Palestinian officials stated that no responses were given to these letters. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abbas congratulated Trump on the start of his presidency on Saturday, January 21, and expressed readiness to cooperate with his government. Saeb Erekat, a senior official of the Palestine Liberation Organization, recently stated that "the transfer of the US embassy will lead to a catastrophe and Muslims in the region will react to it." However, Nir Barkat, the Mayor of Jerusalem, has launched a campaign to expedite this promise. Avi Dichter, the head of the Israeli Knesset's National Security Committee, simultaneously with the beginning of Trump's presidency, urged the new Washington government not to worry about reports of potential angry reactions after the embassy is moved to Jerusalem. David Friedman, who has been nominated for the new US embassy position in Israel, confidently stated that Trump will move the US embassy to Jerusalem. Friedman said that Trump will "fire" any American official who advises him to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv. The US Congress has called for the embassy's transfer to Jerusalem since 1995 during Bill Clinton's presidency. All US presidents have postponed the embassy transfer law every six months using powers due to "security considerations." The Republican government of George Bush proposed a "two-state solution" in 2002; the independence of the Palestinian state alongside Israel, to resolve the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both Republican and Democratic administrations in the US have stated since Israel's control over East Jerusalem and the West Bank in the 1967 war that these territories should be returned to the Palestinians in a peace solution. Palestinians, with the support of parts of the international community, assert that "Jerusalem" should be the "capital" of an independent Palestinian state. The French government, which hosted a peace conference on Sunday, January 15, aimed at resuming stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks, described the potential transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem as "a provocative act with dire consequences" and warned Donald Trump against this action. The announcement of the construction of more than 500 new Israeli homes in Jerusalem was made on Saturday, with Israeli officials announcing the approval of 566 new homes in East Jerusalem. The Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem told Israel Radio that the announcement of this decision had been postponed until the new US government took office. The UN Security Council condemned Israel last month in an unprecedented move for continuing its settlement policy in occupied territories and called for its cessation. Simultaneously, Israeli media reported that Trump had messaged Netanyahu to refrain from plans to "annex" the Ma'ale Adumim settlement in the West Bank into Israeli territory. According to the Jerusalem Post, leaders of right-wing parties allied with Netanyahu's government have pressured him to annex Ma'ale Adumim. Israeli media reported that the Mayor of Jerusalem on Sunday, January 22, the second working day of Mr. Trump, issued further construction permits for Israelis in East Jerusalem. Mr. Barkat told Israel Radio that "the Trump administration is not critical of these constructions and does not see them as an obstacle to peace." Mr. Trump stated the night before his presidential inauguration that he had tasked his 36-year-old Jewish son-in-law, Jared Kushner, with advancing peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Mr. Trump said that if Jared does not succeed in this mission, it will prove that peace between Israel and the Palestinians "will never be achieved."