Knesset speaker goes to Washington to push for embassy move

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein flew to Washington Tuesday night for talks with senior members of the US government.

While there, Edelstein will try to encourage the administration to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“I will call on my counterparts to support and work toward moving the US Embassy to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem,” he said before departing.

Edelstein hopes to build bridges between the Israel and US governments after years of a sometimes strained relationship between the two countries.

“I plan to discuss with my counterparts strengthening and tightening ties between the two countries, stressing cooperation between the Knesset and the two US Houses of Parliament,” Edelstein said. “I will also speak about the Iran threat, which remains unchanged, and about the situation in the Middle East.”

Edelstein is set to meet House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker (R-TN), Democrate party whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

While on the campaign trail US President Donald Trump repeatedly promised to move the embassy from Tel Aviv, but since taking the White House his administration has downplayed the chances of the relocation taking place.

Asked if he was “committed” to moving the embassy to Jerusalem, Trump said: “Well, I’m looking at it… We’re studying it very, very long and hard. You know it’s a very big decision, because every president for the last number of presidents, large number, they’ve come in and they were going to do it and then all of a sudden they decide they don’t want to get involved. It’s a big big decision.”