Israel and the United States signed an agreement on Wednesday allocating land for the construction of a permanent U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee signed the agreement during a ceremony held at the Israeli Foreign Ministry in the nation’s capital, in the presence of Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion.
The deal allocates the Allenby Compound in southern Jerusalem—just a stone’s throw from the current embassy—for the construction of a permanent complex.
“This agreement is about far more than the allocation of land,” Sa’ar said in remarks published by his office. “It is a recognition of history and a declaration of our shared future.”
Sa’ar called U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2017 decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Jewish state’s capital “an act of historic justice” and said the permanent complex would cement the decision “for generations to come.”
He also described Israel as the United States’ “most important strategic asset in the Middle East,” saying the two countries were “indispensable” partners.
Huckabee said the United States would build a “magnificent and beautiful new U.S. Embassy complex” that would strengthen bilateral ties.
“The U.S decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem was rooted in implementing U.S. law and the recognition of the deep, historic connection of the Jewish people to their eternal capital that goes back thousands of years,” he said.
Huckabee noted that the agreement was signed on the eve of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.
“The Judeo-Christian values that inspired America’s founding fathers come from Jerusalem and throughout the land of Israel,” he declared.
Lion said the agreement turned Trump’s decision “from paper into stone,” adding that Jerusalem had always been the Jewish nation’s eternal capital.
“I want to extend my deepest gratitude to President Trump for standing with Jerusalem, to Ambassador Mike Huckabee, a true defender of our city, and to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar for leading this vital process,” he stated.
The Trump administration recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017 and moved its embassy to the holy city the following May.
The embassy, which had been in Tel Aviv, relocated the ambassador’s office and about 50 staff members to an already existing former U.S. consulate in Jerusalem. It was agreed at the time that an entirely new embassy building would be built in the city.
