Israel, US sign agreement for permanent Jerusalem embassy compound
The deal formalizes land allocation at the Allenby site, marking a new step in the embassy relocation process
Israel and the United States signed an agreement Wednesday to allocate land for the future permanent home of the US Embassy compound in Jerusalem. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee signed the agreement at a ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry, attended also by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion.
The agreement sets in motion the transfer of the US Embassy from its current location to a newly built permanent compound in Jerusalem. It formalizes Israel's cabinet decision to allocate the Allenby compound for the project and marks another milestone in the process that began in December 2017, when President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and ordered the embassy's relocation there.
Sa'ar called the signing "another milestone in the unshakeable alliance between Israel and the United States," saying the move builds on and further cements Trump's original decision for generations to come. He added that the agreement represents more than a land allocation, calling it "a recognition of history and a declaration of our shared future."
The foreign minister also emphasized the strategic weight both countries hold for each other, describing Israel as Washington's most important strategic asset in the Middle East.
Lion said Trump's decision was "officially turning from paper to stone" with the signing, adding that Jerusalem "was and will always be our eternal capital." He thanked Trump, Huckabee, and Sa'ar for advancing the project.
Huckabee described the day as another historic moment in US-Israel relations, saying the US will build a new, impressive embassy compound to support what he called the two countries' "vital and irreplaceable partnership."
He linked the decision to recognize Jerusalem to the deep historical connection between the Jewish people and the city, noting the timing ahead of America's 250th anniversary of independence next year. The new compound will replace the embassy's current premises, which opened in 2018 following Trump's initial relocation order.