U.S. President Donald Trump will not attend the dedication ceremony for the American Embassy in Jerusalem in May, White House officials said Tuesday.
The officials did not give a specific reason for Trump's expected absence from the embassy ceremony and from Israel's 70th Independence Day celebrations, but it's possible the president will be busy preparing for a historic summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, which is likely to take place in mid-May.
Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their most recent meeting in Washington on March 5 that he hoped to be able to attend the embassy's inauguration in Jerusalem and Israel's Independence Day festivities.
"We're looking at coming," Trump said. "If I can, I will. … Israel is very special to me and I look forward to being there."
On February 24, the U.S. State Department confirmed the embassy's relocation from Tel Aviv to the Israeli capital.
"We are excited about taking this historic step, and look forward with anticipation to the May opening," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, noting that it would coincide with Israel's 70th anniversary.
The embassy in Jerusalem will be incorporated into the consulate's facilities in the city's Arnona neighborhood. The interim embassy will have office space for the ambassador and a small staff and, by the end of 2019, a new embassy annex in the Arnona compound will be opened, Nauert said.
On Tuesday, the Finance Ministry said Israel has expedited construction permits to enable temporary quarters for the U.S. Embassy to open in Jerusalem as planned.
"We will not allow needless bureaucracy to hold up the transfer of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, Israel's eternal capital," Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said.
