Senate Lends Massive Support to Decision to Leave US Embassy in J’slm

By: Aryeh Savir

The US Senate voted to establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to maintaining the US Embassy in Jerusalem, landing massive support to the move made by former President Donald Trump.

In a vote of 97 yeas to 3 nays, the Senate voted on Friday in favor of Amendment No. 786 introduced by Senators James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) to make sure the US Embassy to Israel remains located in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel.

Only Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Tom Carper voted against the amendment.

A concurrent resolution was introduced in Congress setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for the fiscal year 2021 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2022 through 2030.

“Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and I am proud to introduce legislation to protect the US Embassy from relocation or being downgraded,” Inhofe stated.

“It was an honor to see the US Embassy moved to its rightful location in Jerusalem in 2018 after over 20 years of bipartisan effort and Sen. Hagerty and I are clear in our efforts to ensure it stays there. Israel is a true friend to the United States and I look forward to many more years of friendship,” he added.

“The Trump administration kept its promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, the eternal and indivisible capital of the Jewish State of Israel, and it should remain there,” said Hagerty. “As former US Ambassador to Japan, I know how important it is to recognize the core concerns of our allies, and it was a travesty that our government ignored U.S. law and declined to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital for so many decades.”

The US and Guatemala relocated their embassies to Jerusalem in May 2018.

Honduras, which has a commercial office in Jerusalem, said that it will relocate its embassy to the capital by the end of 2020.

Brazil has a trade office in the capital.

The Czech Republic has a cultural and trade center in Jerusalem and announced in December 2020 that it will open a diplomatic office in Jerusalem.

Serbia announced in September 2020 it will relocate its embassy to Jerusalem, and following Israel’s decision to establish diplomatic relations with Muslim-majority Kosovo, Kosovo has announced it will open its embassy in Jerusalem.

Malawi will relocate its embassy to Jerusalem by the summer of 2021, Malawian Foreign Minister Eisenhower Mkaka announced in November, becoming the first African country to make the move.

(TPS)