Israel and the United States signed an agreement on Wednesday to allocate land at the Allenby Complex for the construction of a permanent US Embassy compound in Jerusalem.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion attended the formal signing ceremony at the Foreign Ministry.

Washington currently operates its embassy at the former US Consulate building in Jerusalem, which was redesignated as the embassy after US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital during his first term in 2017 and relocated the embassy from Tel Aviv in 2018.

“Today is another historic day for the US-Israel relationship as the US receives the property that will be the future home of the new US Embassy complex — deepening and expanding our presence in Jerusalem — the eternal capital of Israel,” Huckabee said in a statement shared by the Foreign Ministry.

Speaking at the ceremony, the US ambassador said Washington “recognizes Jerusalem as the eternal, indigenous and forever capital of the Jewish people.”

“We are going to plant our flag, our American flag, on the soil of Jerusalem for a permanent and a brand new embassy compound that will serve as our mothership of diplomatic activities here in Israel,” Huckabee........

© The Times of Israel