The United States will soon begin construction on a permanent embassy complex in Jerusalem, Ambassador Mike Huckabee said Sunday, eight years after the American mission moved to the city.
Speaking at a Sukkot reception hosted by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, Huckabee said the new facility would bring together embassy operations currently spread across several locations.
The planned site is the Allenby complex in southern Jerusalem, which Israel approved for the project in March. The two countries signed an agreement assigning the site on July 1.
Huckabee said the complex could take several years to complete. He described the project as a lasting US commitment to Jerusalem and said a permanent facility would make any future move of the embassy more difficult.
The plans build on President Donald Trump’s 2017 decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The US embassy formally moved from Tel Aviv in May 2018.
Lion used the reception, attended by foreign diplomats, to urge more countries to establish embassies in Jerusalem. He said nine countries currently have diplomatic representation in the city and that Colombia was expected to follow.
