Trump's promise to move embassy to Jerusalem on backburner

During his first trip to Israel as president, Donald Trump made no effort toward his campaign promise to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

That angered Israeli officials, who said that Trump had gone back on his promise.

Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. who now serves as deputy minister for diplomacy in the Netanyahu government, told reporters in a May 23 conference call after Trump's visit that he was disappointed that Trump didn't talk about moving the embassy.

PolitiFact asked Oren in an email if there had been any private communication.

"What's private is private," he replied. "There was no public statement."

During the presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly said he would move the embassy to Jerusalem.

"They want it in Jerusalem," Trump said in a January 2016 interview. "Well I am for that 100 percent. We are for that 100 percent."

In February 2017, at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump expressed cautious interest about moving the embassy but provided no timeline.

"I'd love to see that happen," Trump said. "We're looking at it very, very strongly. We're looking at it with great care, great care, believe me. And we'll see what happens. Okay?"

We gave Trump an In the Works after his comments.

But in the weeks leading up to Trump's visit to Israel, news reports indicated that talk of moving the embassy was on the backburner amid concerns that it could harm the peace process and inflame the Arab world.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sounded cautious about any such move in an interview that aired on NBC's Meet the Press on May 14.

"The president is being very careful to understand how such a decision would impact the peace process," Tillerson said.

Tillerson also said that Trump would make the decision based on feedback from all parties in the region including "whether Israel views it as helpful to a peace initiative or perhaps a distraction."

News outlets including the New York Times and CNN reported that Arab leaders, including King Abdullah II of Jordan, cautioned against moving the embassy.

Jerusalem is disputed territory between Israelis and Palestinians. Most of the city lay inside Israel's border, but during the 1967 War, Israel annexed East Jerusalem. If the United States moves its embassy to Jerusalem, that would be viewed as endorsing Israel's view and would anger Arab leaders.

In 1995, Congress passed a law mandating the embassy be moved to Jerusalem by 1999. But U.S. presidents have signed waivers to suspend the move because they have feared it would disrupt peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. The deadline for Trump to sign the next semiannual waiver is June 1.

Trump still has years to deliver on this promise, but it appears to be on the backburner for now.

We rate this promise Stalled.