Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the run-up to an April election that he would move to annex some Jewish settlements in the West Bank or exercise full-fledged Israeli sovereignty in such areas.

The New York Times said that U.S. Ambassador David Friedman had declined to say how Washington would respond to annexation, but remarked:

"We really don't have a view until we understand how much, on what terms, why does it make sense, why is it good for Israel, why is it good for the region, why does it not create more problems than it solves."

"These are all things that we'd want to understand, and I don't want to prejudge," Friedman said.

The White House has been working on a proposal for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, dubbed by President Donald Trump as "the deal of the century", but has not disclosed any of its details.

Friedman said that, under certain circumstances, "Israel has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank".

It was unclear which West Bank territories Friedman meant and whether Israel's retention would be part of a peace accord that includes land swaps rather than a unilateral move such as annexation.

The Trump plan had been expected to be unveiled during an economic conference in Bahrain this month. But a snap election in Israel set for Sept. 17 is likely to delay the roll out.

Responding to Friedman's interview, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat tweeted: "Their vision is about the annexation of occupied territory, a war crime under international law."

The Palestinian leadership has refused to deal with the Trump administration since it recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in late 2017. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city, which has been integrated into the city following its unification by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed.

In March, Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Israeli part of the Golan Heights, citing its immense strategic value. Israel annexed the area in the 1980s, more than a decade after it came under its control during the Six-Day War.

Netanyahu told Army Radio in April that Trump's Golan step showed it was possible to annex West Bank settlements "within a gradual process and I prefer to do so with American recognition".

He added: "I have been discussing the question of extending sovereignty with the Americans for the past six months."

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On May 8, 2018, mere days before the U.S. officially inaugurated its new embassy in Jerusalem, the Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. Since then, the U.S. has continued imposing harsh economic sanctions on the regime in Tehran, decimated its economy, forced large corporations to cut business ties with it, rebuffed intensive European efforts to save the Iranian economy, compelled China and India to partake in sanctions, and just last week deployed the U.S. Navy's largest aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf. And while Trump and officials in his administration have stressed that these measures were implemented to uphold American interests, and not necessarily on behalf of Israel, in their view, Israel's and America's security are one and the same – and this is the crux of the matter.

Not only has the administration completely backed all Israeli military activity in Syria, Gaza and Judea and Samaria, but officials have also made clear that in their view anti-Zionism, Jew-hatred and calls for boycotting Israel all stem from the same phenomenon.

In the words of U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman: "There are places in Manhattan, where I worked for 35 years, where you could attend a cocktail party and if you said, 'I hate Jews,' you would be politely escorted to the door. But if you said 'isn't it a shame that after the Jews survived the Holocaust they turned into Nazis themselves against the Palestinians,' you might be ordered another drink and invited to hold court on your interesting point of view. Unlike other nations, unlike other peoples, there is no political correctness when it comes to Israel and the Jewish people." The Trump administration refuses to accept this double-standard.

On April 12, for the first time, the U.S. Embassy announced visa exemptions for Israeli investors, while on March 26, President Trump made history by recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan. Consequently, the administration and Congress are now including the Golan in joint trade and cooperation initiatives.

On March 4, the U.S. Central Command declared it was deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense system in Israel – the most advanced such system in the American arsenal. A day earlier, the U.S. State Department said it was shutting down the independent "Palestinian consulate" on Agron Street in Jerusalem and making it a regular department of the embassy located in the city's Arnona neighborhood.

On February 21, for the second time, Friedman attended and spoke at the Israeli-Palestinian International Economic Forum sponsored by the Judea and Samaria Chamber of Commerce and Industry – yet another step signaling U.S. recognition of the permanence of Israel's presence in there.

A week prior, on February 13-14, the U.S. convened, in large part on Israel's behalf, the 2019 Warsaw Conference, in an effort to highlight and curb Iran's activities in the region. At the conference, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat alongside Arab leaders.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the conference and declared: "Tonight I believe we are beginning a new era, with Prime Minister Netanyahu from the State of Israel, with leaders from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, all breaking bread together, and later in this conference sharing honest perspectives on the challenges facing the area."

On September 1, 2018, the Trump administration announced the complete cessation of American financial support for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which perpetuates and exaggerates the Palestinian refugee issue. Ten days later, the administration shuttered the PLO's offices in Washington and on June 20, 2018, the U.S. withdrew from the so-called U.N. "Human Rights Council." The move was spearheaded by then-U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, who did so simply to object to the body's discrimination against Israel.

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The Palestinians have already made it clear that they will not accept it, sight unseen.

The narrow Palestinian cabinet, recently cobbled together by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, appears ill-equipped to deal with the PA's pressing political, diplomatic and economic troubles. There is major disunity among the Palestinians, Hamas and Fatah, which are nowhere near reconciliation, and the PA is losing money fast.

While Shtayyeh is a foreign-trained economist – and many in the international community have high hopes for him – he is also a "promoter of the BDS boycott-Israel movement, is in favor of ending security coordination with the Israel Defense Forces and seeks to end the Paris Protocols that refer to a joint economy with Israel," said Pinhas Inbari at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

However, Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Jewish News Syndicate that "the appointment of Mohammad Shtayyeh is quite significant."

He said that the previous prime minister, Rami Hamdallah, was "a very minor player" with "very little clout" within the ruling Fatah Party, and had "few respected skills." By contrast, Shtayyeh, according to Schanzer, "has the respect of his party and is known as a serious economist."

With an ever-widening intra-Palestinian rift, Schanzer said this is an effort by Abbas "to consolidate power across the various arms of the Fatah party and the PLO." Set up as part of the 1993 Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority was originally slated to be the interim government of the Palestinians until a final resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was solidified. However, the PA has become beset by corruption, internal Palestinian disputes and increasing authoritarianism under Abbas. The PA last held elections in 2006 and has since been exclusively run by Abbas and Fatah in the West Bank after several failures at reconciliation with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

According to the Saudi-run Arab News site, Shtayyeh clarified that he would pursue an austerity program since the PA's financial situation is critical and Abbas has appealed to Arab countries to provide him with a safety net. This comes after Israel decided to withhold $138 million in monthly tax revenues that it collects on behalf of the PA.

In response to Abbas's appeal, at an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Sunday, Arab foreign ministers committed to paying $100 million per month to the floundering PA. They also rejected any peace plan that does not follow the Arab Peace Initiative and other international demands.

'No different from its predecessors'

Schanzer said the new government is part of Abbas' efforts to prepare for the Trump administration's upcoming Mideast peace plan, commonly referred to as the "deal of the century."

So, are the Palestinians trying to repair the damage in relations they caused when they cut off ties with the U.S. administration in December 2017?

"The Palestinians expect to see a bad deal," said Schanzer. "And they expect to be punished for rejecting it. Abbas is preparing accordingly."

This, noted Schanzer, could explain why Shtayyeh said in his remarks that "we must separate the Palestinian-American relations from the peace process or the political process that is going on."

Perhaps Shtayyeh was attempting to step back from the original Palestinian hard-line position that saw no relations between the PA and the United States when he said, "The stalemate of the peace process must not be met with punishment or blackmail from the American administration of the Palestinian people. We want it to be an honest peace-broker."

Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, appeared determined to set the record straight and remove any misplaced hope. He told JNS that the new Palestinian government "is no different from its predecessors. They all are beleaguered by corruption, nepotism and ineptitude. A Herculean effort would be needed to overcome the political culture bequeathed by [former Palestinian Authority chairman] Yasser Arafat."

He added, in a resigned sort of way, that the PA "continues to subscribe to maximalist unrealistic positions that ensure the continuation of conflict between the two national movements."

This article is reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The decision to create a single diplomatic mission was announced last October by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who did not say at the time when this would take place.

"The merger of the consulate and the embassy will take place on March 4th or 5th, at which point the position of the consul general will end, said the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the date has not been announced yet by Washington.

U.S. President Donald Trump outraged the Arab world and stoked international concern by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December and moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May. Palestinian leaders suspended ties with the U.S. administration after the embassy move.

The consulate general in Jerusalem is the top mission for Palestinians, who with broad international backing seek east Jerusalem as the capital of a state they want to establish in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

At the time of Pompeo's announcement, senior Palestinian leader Saeb Erekat denounced the decision to eliminate the consulate as the latest evidence the Trump administration is working with Israel to impose a "Greater Israel" rather than a two-state solution.

Asked on Tuesday about the merger, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, told Reuters that nothing had changed from their point of view.

"Contacts at the political level with the American administration have been cut off and will remain so unless the American administration changes its positions on Jerusalem and the refugees," said Abu Rudeineh.

However, he said, there were still "contacts at the security level to fight terrorism."

The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest disputes between Israel and the Palestinians.

Israel regards the entire city as its "eternal and indivisible capital," but that is not recognized internationally.

The Trump administration has said that the city's final borders should be decided by the parties.

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Morrison said on Tuesday he was open to Australia moving its mission from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as the United States did in May to the delight of Israel but to the fury of Palestinians.

Morrison's willingness to reverse decades of foreign policy and follow the U.S. lead alienated many of Australia's Asian neighbors that have close alliances with Palestinians.

It also drew condemnation from 13 Arab ambassadors in Australia who called the suggestion regrettable and asked Morrison to reconsider or risk damaging Australian ties in the region.

Morrison, who faces a critical by-election on Saturday that will determine whether his government keeps its one-seat majority, said his government had been assured Indonesia would honor its commitment to the deal worth more than 16 billion Australian dollars ($11 billion).

"There's been direct communication between myself and the president as well as between our foreign ministers and with the trade ministers," Morrison told reporters in Canberra, referring to Indonesia's President Joko Widodo.

"The Indonesian trade minister has made it very clear on the public record that is not an issue of concern to them," he said.

Indonesia is the world's biggest Muslim-majority country, where the Palestinian question is a sensitive issue and tens of thousands protested against Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, speaking at a news conference with Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad Malki in Jakarta on Tuesday, called on Australia to avoid any step that would threaten efforts to forge peace in the Middle East.

The trade agreement, which has been in the works for nearly a decade, offers Australia a chance to boost rural exports, which dominates two-way trade.

Indonesia is a major importer of wheat and beef and bought more than AU$3 billion ($2 billion) of Australian agricultural commodities in 2017, according to government data.

Fiona Simson, president of Australia's National Farmers Federation, which represents the rural sector, cautioned Morrison against any move that would threaten exports.

The Council of Arab Ambassadors said in a statement issued on its behalf by Egypt's envoy to Australia, said it was very worrying that Morrison would entertain the idea of shifting Australia's embassy.

"Any decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital or to relocate the Australian embassy would legitimize the status quo and affirm Israel's claims to the entire city," it said.

While raising concern among rural voters worried about exports, Morrison's potential policy shift could help his government retain its one-seat parliamentary majority.

Voters in the Sydney electorate of Wentworth will decide on Saturday who will replace former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who quit politics after he was ousted in a party revolt in August.

Wentworth is home to a large Jewish community. Census figures show 12.5% of people in Wentworth are Jewish, a larger proportion than anywhere else in Australia.

The candidate contesting the by-election for Morrison's Liberal party, Dave Sharma, is a former ambassador to Israel who was credited with the idea to relocate the embassy.

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The visit, within the framework of Israel's 70th independence celebrations, is focusing on Israel's achievements in innovation and cyber technology, and on the challenges, Israel faces in the international arena and in the foreign press.

"Another extraordinary thing happened in Jerusalem this year," Rivlin told his guests.

"Some 50 years after the city was liberated and united as the capital of Israel, and in the 70th anniversary of its [Israel's] inception, the U.S. Embassy was moved to Jerusalem.

"Other embassies followed and we hope many more will join. For this we are extremely grateful to [U.S.] President Trump," he said.

Discussing the situation in the Middle East, Rivlin said,  "These are difficult days in our region. The war in Syria is still ongoing, and Iran continues to spread hatred and radicalism here and across the globe."

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the delegation that he favors appointing an Israeli envoy to the Christian world.

He welcomed the idea suggested by one journalist to appoint such an emissary as "a great idea."

Netanyahu also promised to examine lifting the restrictions that prevent millions of Indonesian Christians from visiting Israel.

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U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman posted a video to the "U.S. Embassy Jerusalem" Facebook page of himself standing in front of scaffolding covered in blue and white drapes.

Behind him are signs reading "Trump is a Friend of Zion" and "Trump Make Israel Great" – a reference to U.S. President Donald Trump's election slogan "Make America Great Again."

At a press conference on Friday, Friedman said the relocation of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is first and foremost in "the interests of the United States."

A small interim embassy is set to open inside an existing American consulate building in Jerusalem on May 14, the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding. A larger site will open at a later date, when the rest of the embassy relocates from Tel Aviv. The Jerusalem embassy is expected to be fully operational in three years' time.

"We are so excited," said Friedman, a Trump appointee who was a strong advocate of the embassy move.

"We have the official seal of the United States Embassy. We have the dedication plaque. They are covered right now, but on Monday they are going to be unveiled."

Praising Trump's December decisions to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the U.S. Embassy to the city, Friedman signed off in  Hebrew and English with the words "This year in Jerusalem," a take on the oft-said adage (from the Passover Haggadah) "Next year in Jerusalem."

On Saturday, Trump tweeted, "Big week next week when the American Embassy in Israel will be moved to Jerusalem. Congratulations to all!"

While the American president will not be in attendance at the opening ceremony, he has recorded a congratulatory video message that will be played at the event.

Last week, it was announced that the White House would be sending a presidential delegation to the event that includes Friedman, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband, senior adviser Jared Kushner, along with special envoy Jason Greenblatt. A separate congressional delegation will also be in attendance.

More than 1,000 people have been invited to the official opening ceremony.

The White House will also host an event in Washington to honor the relocation of the embassy.

Administration officials said official government maps would be updated to reflect the U.S.'s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Work on the embassy compound, including the paving of a new access road and an emergency escape route, was nearing conclusion, as was the installation of perimeter lighting.

U.S. and Israeli flags have been hung from city street lights and the  Bridge of Strings at the entrance to Jerusalem will be lit in the colors of the U.S. flag in honor of the relocation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to host a special reception in honor of Jerusalem Day and the embassy relocation at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in the Israeli capital on Sunday. While the ambassadors of all the missions to Israel have been invited, only 30 are expected to attend.

Considering their vocal opposition to the embassy's transfer, the Europeans in particular are not expected to take part in the festivities.

The EU sought to condemn the embassy's transfer in an official statement, but was prevented from doing so when member-states Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania blocked the move, according to a Channel 10 report.

The planned statement, reportedly initiated by France, would have been delivered by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and reiterated the European Union's view that Jerusalem is the capital of both Israel and the Palestinians, that the status of Jerusalem should be resolved through direct negotiations and that the EU would not move its embassy to the city.

The decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem infuriated Palestinians, with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas calling it a "slap in the face" and saying Washington could no longer be regarded as an honest broker in any peace talks with Israel.

Germany has advised its citizens to stay away from Jerusalem's Old City this weekend, citing the possibility of violence surrounding the opening of the embassy.

In line with the United States, Guatemala and Honduras are also set to mark the official transfer of their respective embassies to Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said, "The change in Jerusalem is permeating the world. If in 1967 we unified the capital, in recent years we are opening it up to the world in the diplomatic arena and in the cultural, tourism and economic fields. The transfer of the U.S. Embassy, and of the countries that will follow, is the culmination of this trend. Jerusalem is ready for the historic event."

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At a special event to mark the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem, Monday, Friedman said he sees Jerusalem as a religious place.

"I hope that young Jews, in particular children, will connect to their Jewish and Israeli roots," he said.

Meanwhile, preparations ahead of the May 14 transfer of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem are continuing apace. Work is being carried out on the site that also holds the consulate building on David Flusser Street in Jerusalem's Arnona neighborhood. In the initial stage following the transfer, the U.S. Embassy will be situated in what is now the U.S. Consulate building.

Works to pave an access road to the consulate building for Friedman and his staff along with another escape route to be used in case of emergency are currently underway. In addition, a new lighting system is being installed around the consulate to better illuminate the complex and make it easier to secure the site.

A large security team has been stationed on the roads leading to the consulate building to carefully examine everyone who approaches the area.

The Jerusalem Municipality, along with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, has also been helping to make sure the transfer goes as smoothly as possible.

While most local residents say they are happy about the U.S. Embassy's transfer to Jerusalem, there are those who fear the move will negatively impact their quiet neighborhood. In particular, they are concerned by the American demand that a wall be erected around the compound. Some residents have already filed their objections to the plan, but as the issue concerns a matter largely considered to be of major national importance, U.S. demands will likely be approved.

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On Dec. 6, U.S. President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, infuriating Washington's Arab allies and dismaying Palestinians who envision the eastern part of the city as their future capital.

Currently, to avoid making a political statement on Jerusalem, most countries house their Israel embassies in Tel Aviv, the commercial center of Israel, despite the fact that Israel's government resides in Jerusalem, the city that Israel considers its capital.

Under Romanian legislation, a final embassy relocation decision belongs to centrist President Klaus Iohannis, who said he had not been consulted. The Romanian government and foreign ministry did not immediately confirm the information.

"Yesterday, the government adopted a memorandum deciding to start the procedure to effectively move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," Social Democrat leader and lower house speaker Liviu Dragnea told private television station Antena3 late Thursday.

Dragnea keeps a tight grip on his party and is seen as effectively in charge of the cabinet.

Romanian President Iohannis said in a statement on Friday that he had not been informed or consulted about the decision and urged all government and political actors to show "responsibility and discernment regarding major foreign policy decisions that have strategic effects, including on national security."

"Such a decision must be taken only after consulting and securing the approval of all foreign policy and national security institutions, with a final decision belonging to the president, according to the constitution," he said.

"Our gesture has a huge symbolic value for Israel," Social Democrat leader Dragnea said, "a state with an unbelievably large influence in the world and with which we have had a special relationship for many years."

"Moving the embassy to Jerusalem can, and I believe will, bring short, medium and long-term benefits for Romania and we must use this huge chance and opportunity," he said.

Meanwhile Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "at least half a dozen" countries were considering relocating their embassies to Jerusalem, following the U.S. decision to do so.

The U.S. Embassy is due to relocate to Jerusalem on May 14, the date on which Israel declared its independence in 1948.

"In order to promote peace … move your embassies here," Netanyahu told foreign diplomats at a reception marking Israel's 70th Independence Day, held Thursday at the President's Residence in Jerusalem.

"There are two things you can do to help Israel celebrate this great Independence Day," he said. "The first thing is – speak out against Iran. Iran is the enemy of us all – of Israel, the Arab world, of civilization."

"The second thing you can do to advance peace is to move your embassy here. We are delighted with President Trumps' decision to move the embassy here. It says a simple thing: Peace must be based on truth," Netanyahu said.

The fact that "Israel has a capital, that the Jewish people have had a capital for 3,000 years and it's called Jerusalem – is uncontestable," Netanyahu said.

He thanked Guatemala, which decided to move its embassy soon after the U.S. announcement, but he did not name the other countries he said were considering following suit.

"I am pleased to say that there are at least half a dozen countries that are currently talking seriously to us about moving their embassies to Jerusalem," Netanyahu said.

The first 10 embassies to relocate to Jerusalem would receive "preferential treatment," he said without explaining what that might entail.

Guatemalan Ambassador to the U.N. Jorge Skinner-Klée took part in the event and said that Guatemala's "positive feelings" for Jerusalem had grown not only because of the Bible but also because the modern state of Israel's values, which he said contributed so much to the world in fields such as science and technology.

"I believe that the ties between our two countries will continue to grow stronger," Skinner-Klée said.

A U.S. official said the embassy would be located at a provisional site in Jerusalem that now houses a U.S. consular section. Building a permanent embassy could take several years.

Speaking at the same event, President Reuven Rivlin said, "We might have to build fences to stop terrorists or take other action to ensure the safety of our people, but we will never close the door to peace."

"For 70 years, Israel has shared knowledge and experience in our region and throughout the entire world. From food security to cyber defense, Israel is creating a better future for us all," he said.

In related news, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin left on Thursday for a visit to Guatemala and Honduras. Levin is slated to meet with Guatemalan President Jaime Morales and President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández, as well as both countries' tourism ministers.

Levin is expected to express Israel's thanks to the Guatemalan government for its decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and discuss the possibility of Honduras doing likewise in his meeting with Hernández.

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In the Gaza Strip, Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri, said, "Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem is a declaration of war against the Arab and Muslim nation, and the U.S. administration must reconsider."

He also called on Muslims to unite against this "despicable decision."

Clashes erupted in Gaza and the West Bank earlier on Friday in a weekly protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's stance on Jerusalem, which has also angered Arab political and religious leaders across the region and dismayed European allies.

Palestinians were particularly irked by Trump's Dec. 6, 2017 declaration recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel because they envision east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Trump's declaration set the embassy relocation in motion, thereby contravening decades of policy by the international community.

Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator in peace talks that have been frozen since 2014, said the U.S. move showed a "determination to violate international law, destroy the two-state solution and provoke the feelings of the Palestinian people as well as of all Arabs, Muslims and Christians around the globe."

Erekat, who is also secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said, "Trump and his team have disqualified the U.S. from being part of the solution between Israelis and Palestinians; rather, the world now sees that they are part of the problem."

A U.S. official on Friday said the United States was expected to open its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem in May. This would be shortly after Israel's 70th anniversary.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, called the move "unacceptable."

"Any unilateral move will deprive everyone of legitimacy and will be an obstacle to any effort to create peace in the region," he said.

Abbas has rejected U.S.-led Middle East peace efforts as "impossible" since Washington's decision.

Abu Rudeineh said the only way to achieve peace, security and stability was to adopt Abbas' proposal – outlined in an address to the United Nations Security Council in New York on Tuesday – calling for an international conference to kick-start the peace process, including the establishment of a "multilateral mechanism" to oversee it.

Abbas remained in the U.S. for medical exams in Baltimore on Thursday, but headed back to the West Bank over the weekend, Abu Rudeineh said.

Ankara also condemned the move, which the Turkish Foreign Ministry called "highly worrisome."

A Turkish official said the U.S. plan to relocate the embassy "reveals that the U.S. insists on undermining the foundations of peace by disregarding international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions on Jerusalem."

"Turkey will sustain its efforts, together with the vast majority of [the] international community, to safeguard the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," the official said.

A number of Israeli lawmakers also condemned the American decision. Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg said, "We all want to see Jerusalem recognized as the [Israeli] capital by the nations of the world. But the decision to unilaterally move the embassy will not help [attain] that goal, but will do the exact opposite. If we want all the embassies, not just the American [Embassy], to relocate to Jerusalem, we need to reach a peace agreement, end the occupation and determine agreed-upon and recognized borders."

Joint Arab List MK Yousef Jabareen said the decision was comparable to spitting "in the face of the international community, which in an absolute majority, voted against the Trump declaration."

"The embassy should remain in Tel Aviv, and there is no room for its transfer to Jerusalem. The status of Jerusalem will be determined in a comprehensive peace agreement and with the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel, as agreed upon by the international community," he said.

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