Trump Puts Off Big Move in Israel—for Now

President Donald Trump has temporarily waived a law requiring the US to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, reports the AP. Trump's move to renew the waiver for six months keeps the US embassy in Tel Aviv for now. Trump has said he's reviewing whether to fulfill his campaign promise to move it to Jerusalem. The president was facing a Thursday deadline to renew the waiver or see the State Department lose half its funding for its overseas facilities.

Presidents of both parties have renewed the waiver every six months for years. Israel considers Jerusalem its capital, but the Palestinians claim east Jerusalem for the capital of a future state. The US says its policy on Jerusalem hasn't changed and that Jerusalem's status must be negotiated between Israelis and Palestinians. However, Trump previously told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would move the embassy, and his ambassador to Israel is on board. (More President Trump stories.)