A sizeable delegation of American dignitaries will arrive in Israel to attend the official dedication ceremony for the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, according to Sunday report on Israel’s Channel 10 news.
U.S. Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin, senior adviser to the president Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka, Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, and U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and Lindsay Graham are among the estimated 40 politicians who will arrive from the United States as part of a 250-person American delegation.
U.S. President Donald Trump will reportedly not be in attendance.
Images of newly minted road signs directing drivers to the U.S. Embassy have been circulating on social media, confirming that concrete steps were being taken towards implementing Trump’s Dec. 6 announcement that the United States would move its Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The ceremony will take place in Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood on May 14, which will mark the secular 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence. The United States currently operates its Jerusalem consulate in Arnona. The new embassy will operate out of that space temporarily, and is expected to complete construction of additional office space at the compound to meet its needs.
A brand-new embassy complex will be constructed in the coming years.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week that Israel’s Foreign Ministry will host a celebratory reception for “guests” coming to Israel on the occasion of the U.S. embassy dedication. He did not elaborate further at the current time.