Foreign affairs

Report: State, Defense and CIA heads opposed US Jerusalem recognition

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo all argued against US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital or the moving of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in the absence of a peace deal, CNN reported Wednesday.

According to the report, when President Donald Trump made clear his determination to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, they argued for him to sign a waiver delaying the embassy move by another six months, which he did. However, Trump did announce the US has commenced with preparations to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Trump’s Mideast peace envoys, Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt and White House senior policy adviser Jared Kushner, reportedly supported the move, but advised him to delay relocating the embassy .

During his historic announcement at the White House on Wednesday, the president said the US was “finally acknowledge[ing] the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. This is nothing more, or less, than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. It’s something that has to be done.”