Trump Signs Waiver to Keep US Embassy in Tel Aviv

US President Donald Trump signed a waiver to keep the US diplomatic mission in Israel in Tel Aviv instead of moving it to Jerusalem.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A White House official confirmed Trump renew a waiver to bypass a 1995 law requiring the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem, The Hill reported.

Trump said that his decision to sign a waiver against moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem was intended to improve the chances of a Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

"President Trump made this decision to maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, fulfilling his solemn obligation to defend America's national security interests," the White House said in a press release.

Every US president since Bill Clinton has signed the waiver every six months to avoid moving the embassy. The 1995 Jerusalem Embassy act mandated the mission be relocated from Tel Aviv no later than May 31, 1999.

Trump had promised in the 2016 campaign to move the US embassy to Jerusalem as soon as possible. He further pledged that his administration would recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel.

Israel declared Jerusalem its capital in 1949, but the international community largely recognizes East Jerusalem and the Old City to be part of Palestine.