Blinken affirms plan to keep US embassy in Jerusalem
By Laura Kelly - 01/19/21 06:57 PM EST
President-elect Joe Biden's pick to lead the State Department committed on Tuesday to keeping the U.S. embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, maintaining one of President Trump's key foreign policy decisions.
Antony Blinken, Biden's nominee for secretary of State, confirmed during his Senate confirmation hearing that the incoming administration has no intention of moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Jerusalem back to Tel Aviv, and affirmed that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
"Do you agree that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and do you commit that the United States will keep our embassy in Jerusalem?" Senator James Risch (R-Idaho), the outgoing chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee asked Blinken at the tail end of an over four-and-a-half hour confirmation hearing.
"Yes and yes," Blinken answered.
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https://thehill.com/policy/international/534926-blinken-affirms-plan-to-keep-us-embassy-in-jerusalem
