AFRICA
The Establishment of the US Embassy in Jerusalem Already has Funding
Israel supporter Sheldon G. Adelson, an American businessman and philanthropist has offered to help fund the construction of the new American Embassy in Jerusalem, according to the US State Department, which has to determine whether the donation would be legal.
Known as the founder of the free daily newspaper Israel Hayom, the billionaire would be willing to assume at least part of the cost of the US Embassy’s move from Tel Aviv, which is estimated at around $500 million, according to a former State Department official.
The Trump administration plans on opening a temporary embassy in Jerusalem before it builds the real one, hopefully in time to mark the 70th anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel on May 14th. It was also on May 14th, 1948 that US President Harry Truman recognized the new country for the first time.
Located in the south of Jerusalem, the residential area of Arnona where the future embassy will be located is already experiencing some large real estate projects.
The recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by the United States on December 6th, 2017 wi, therefore, know a first symbolic translation.
The acceptance of Mr. Adelson’s contribution raises legal and moral questions. Even some of Mr. Adelson’s allies disagreed with the initiative, concerned that the offer to fund the embassy could be seen as an act of privatizing American foreign policy.
Mr. Adelson, who has been a vocal supporter of the contentious plan to move the embassy, is not a mere philanthropist; he is one of the most prominent players in Israeli-American relations. He is a conservative force in American politics, a donor to President Trump, a longtime patron of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the owner of Israel’s largest-circulation daily newspaper.
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