Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer stopped short Thursday of confirming that President-elect Donald Trump intended to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, but said to “stay tuned” for an announcement.
Moving the embassy to Jerusalem would bolster Israel’s claim on the holy city as its capital but would infuriate Palestinians who want the city as part of a two-state solution.
“What I can tell you is stay tuned. There will be a further announcement on that,” Mr. Spicer said at a press conference.
He said that Mr. Trump intends to repair the damage done to the relationship between U.S. and Israel during the Obama administration.
“The president-elect has been very clear that Israel has not gotten the attention it deserves for the respect in the last eight years. He intends to really show his respect for Israel [and] the importance of it in the Middle East,” he said.
Discussions about policy toward Israel were the subject of ongoing discussions between Mr. Trump, Ambassador-designate David Freedman, adviser Jared Kushner and Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson, he said.
“I think first and foremost, how do you make sure we continue to support our ally Israel,” Mr. Spicer said. “That is going to be the priority of this administration.”
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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