The United States will soon break ground on a permanent embassy complex in Jerusalem's Allenby Compound, a move U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee described as a lasting American commitment. The current embassy occupies a former consular site redesignated in 2018 after U.S. recognition of Jerusalem in 2017. An agreement on the Allenby Compound was signed on July 1, but officials say construction could take several years. Mayor Moshe Lion hosted diplomats at Safra Square and urged more countries to relocate their missions; Colombia is expected to be the 10th.
U.S. to Break Ground on Permanent Embassy in Jerusalem's Allenby Compound
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee (Getty Images)
The United States will soon break ground on a permanent embassy complex in Jerusalem's Allenby Compound, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said, calling the move a long-term American commitment to the city.
The current U.S. mission operates from a site that formerly served as a consulate; it was redesignated as the embassy after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017 and relocated the embassy from Tel Aviv in 2018.
"We will soon be breaking ground on our property to begin the construction of the U.S. embassy that will be our permanent home rather than being spread out all over the country," Huckabee said, according to The Jerusalem Post. He cautioned that construction could take several years.
On July 1, the United States and Israel signed an agreement designating the Allenby Compound in southern Jerusalem as the site for the permanent embassy. Israeli authorities had approved the location in March.
Huckabee said a permanent facility would make the American presence in Jerusalem more difficult to reverse in future administrations.
"There is no way that in the future someone would ever come and try to move us out of Jerusalem, where we belong," he said.
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and his wife, Stavit, hosted the diplomatic corps at Safra Square in the municipality's roughly 8,600-square-foot sukkah, which the city says can accommodate about 650 people and is billed as the world's largest.
The Jerusalem Post reported that 32 of 46 invited ambassadors attended the event. Among them was Britain's Ambassador to Israel, Simon Walters — notable because the British Embassy remains in Tel Aviv and the United Kingdom does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. Britain regards East Jerusalem as occupied territory and believes the city's final status should be determined through negotiations.
On Sept. 8, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar ordered the closure of the British Consulate in East Jerusalem, giving the U.K. 30 days to comply. That order followed a decision by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Mayor Lion urged additional countries to relocate their embassies to Jerusalem, saying nine nations already have missions there and that Colombia is expected to become the 10th in the coming weeks after its incoming government agreed in July to move its embassy as part of restored diplomatic ties.
Officials emphasize that timelines remain uncertain: building a secure, permanent embassy complex typically requires extensive planning, security work and construction and could take several years to complete.
Sources: The Jerusalem Post; reporting compiled by Newsmax.
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