A delegation of members of the National Security Subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee arrived in Israel on Saturday for a weekend visit to assess the issues involved in relocating the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, according to a statement by MK Yehuda Glick (Likud).
Subcommittee Chairman Ron DeSantis (R-FL) plans to meeting Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli political figures to hold meetings with Israeli politicians and the country’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Glick wrote, stating that the visitors wish to “closely examine the issue of transferring the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – both from a practical standpoint as well as politically.”
Political consultant Ruth Lieberman, who is close to DeSantis, told Jerusalem Post that “the delegation is in Jerusalem to learn firsthand what it will mean to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. […] Its leadership intends to return to Congress with a report and a deeper understanding of what to expect, and of some of the decisions that have to be made as well.”
The delegation is expected to convene a press conference in Jerusalem on Sunday before returning to the US.
PLO spokesperson Ziad Khalil Abu Zayyad told the Jerusalem Post that “moving the US embassy to Jerusalem will explode the situation in the [Middle East and North Africa].”
Presidential candidate Donald Trump, President-Elect and President Trump have held fluctuating views on the embassy move, from complete commitment to a more reluctant probably but not right away. His most recent statement on the topic, in mid-February, was given in a press conference with visiting PM Netanyahu: “I’d love to see that happen, we’re looking at that very, very strongly, we’re looking at that with great care, and we’ll see what happens.”