The embassy’s statement said the residence would be formally vacated in the spring of 2021 “to allow for an orderly transition period to remove and safeguard government property.”It is unclear whether U.S. Ambassador David Friedman will live in the house until then. A statement from the embassy in June said he had established an official residence in Jerusalem ever since President Trump moved the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018, but Israeli media reports this week said he would continue to rent the Herzliya home. ADADThe house was put up for sale earlier this year, with an embassy spokesperson saying in the June statement that “following the decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem it made sense to sell the residence in Herzliya.”“Much of the embassy’s operations have shifted to Jerusalem and the ambassador has established an official residence there.”In December 2017, Trump upended decades of U.S. foreign policy by formally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and ordering the relocation of the U.S. mission to that city. The Jerusalem embassy was officially opened in May 2018 with a glitzy ceremony attended by Trump’s daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law, Middle East envoy Jared Kushner, and other dignitaries.

Source: Washington Post September 08, 2020 18:50 UTC