President Donald Trump made history and fundamentally changed American foreign policy in the Middle East on Wednesday, officially recognizing Jerusalem as the “capital of Israel,” and announcing his decision to relocate the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.
“After more than two decades of waivers, we are no closer to a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. It would be folly to assume that repeating the exact same formula would now produce a different or better result,” said the President.
“I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. While previous Presidents have made this a campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today I am delivering,” he added.
“I’ve judged this course of action to be in the best interest of the United States of America, and the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. This is a long overdue step to advance the peace process and to work towards a lasting agreement,” said Trump. “Israel is a sovereign nation with the right, like every other sovereign nation, to determine its own capital.”
Watch the President’s historic remarks above.