WashPost: Trump Might Move Embassy to Jerusalem 'Fairly Quickly'

WashPost: Trump Might Move Embassy to Jerusalem 'Fairly Quickly'

Palestinians sit in front of the Dome of the Rock at the al-Aqsa mosque compound after a snowstorm in Jerusalem's old city, February 22, 2015. (Sipa via AP Images)

By Mark Swanson   |   Wednesday, 14 Dec 2016 10:06 AM

President-elect Donald Trump is poised to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem "fairly quickly" after taking office, effectively acknowledging the City of Peace as the new capital of Israel, The Washington Post reported.

President after president have been reluctant to move the embassy, usually citing national security matters as a way to sidestep the act and avoid offending the Palestinians, who also claim part of Jerusalem as their capital.

"They are serious about this," Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat told the Post Tuesday.  "I am optimistic that this will happen sooner rather than later."

The Post reported Barkat made a trip to the U.S. to meet with Trump transition aides whom he declined to identify.

Kellyanne Conway has said moving the embassy is a "very big priority" for Trump.  But the consequences are very real for Israel-Palestine relations.

"It's hard to argue you could harm an already-comatose peace process, but you don’t want to make matters worse," Aaron David Miller, a former State Department official told the Post.  "And you do want to maintain the hope and illusion that under some circumstances, a two-state solution is possible.  By forcing the issue upfront as an immediate act of the Trump administration, you’re essentially burying that possibility."