Jerusalem to be recognized as Israeli capital, according to White House plan
The White House is finalizing plans for President Trump, with Vice President Pence at his side, to announce on Wednesday, Dec. 6, that the U.S. will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Last Monday the decision had been made, although by Saturday morning, the president had not yet given his final approval because there remains internal disagreement over the decision within the White House. If he does make the announcement, it would make Mr. Trump the first U.S. president to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. While he would be making an unprecedented announcement in recognizing Jerusalem, he still plans to sign the waiver that keeps the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv, in keeping with the decisions of past presidents.
CBS News reported earlier this week that U.S. diplomatic posts have been put on alert because of heightened security concerns in the Middle East, which stem from Mr. Trump's active consideration of the recognition of Jerusalem.
The security alert was sent out to U.S. posts in Muslim countries as a precaution. Another U.S. official told CBS News that the president's retweets of anti-Muslim videos has added to the security concerns at U.S. posts.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the State Department have opposed this decision. Secretary of Defense James Mattis has added his voice to concerns about potential security threats to U.S. personnel, given Jerusalem's significance to all three monotheistic religions in the territory militarily seized by Israel in 1967.