Trump will not attend US Embassy opening in Jerusalem: White House

Workers place flags at a road leading to the US consulate in the Jewish neighborhood of Arnona on the East-West Jerusalem line in Jerusalem, Israel, on May 7, 2018. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Donald Trump will not travel to Israel next week for the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem, the White House said Monday (May 7), announcing that Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan will lead the delegation.

Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband, senior White House aide Jared Kushner, will also be part of the
US presidential delegation, along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

In December, Trump announced the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in a break with his predecessors, and announced that the embassy would move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

He had hinted in recent days that he could attend the embassy opening set for May 14, which coincides with the 70th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel.

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