Jerusalem authorities advance planning for new US embassy
Jerusalem municipal authorities on Monday advanced planning for the new US embassy compound in the city.
The Jerusalem District Building and Planning Committee approved the project through an earlier planning stage known as deposit. Those who protest the plan will now be able to file objections before the project is given final approval for construction.
The project will consist of two complexes, with the main one being located on Hebron Road and a secondary campus on the grounds of the nearby Diplomat Hotel, according to Hebrew media. The project features a 10-story embassy building, a four-story dormitory for diplomatic staff, and a five-story parking garage.
The plan passed an earlier planning stage last month during then-US president Donald Trump’s final days in office.
The new site will be located near an invisible line that divides west and east Jerusalem, the part of the city captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War and claimed by the Palestinians for a future capital. It was not immediately clear if it crosses the boundary.
In a controversial move, the outgoing Trump administration recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city in 2018. It was one of a string of diplomatic gifts delivered by Trump to Israel.
The current site of the embassy is located in the nearby Arnona neighborhood.
President Joe Biden is expected to take a more balanced approach toward Israel and the Palestinians, but he has said that he does not plan on moving the embassy back to Tel Aviv.