News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) United States Ambassador Richard Jones will boycott the Jerusalem Day celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem this week, according to Israel Radio. In doing so, the U.S. is joining with the member nations of the European Union, who informed the Israeli government via a German representative that they would be avoiding the ceremonies.

The rejections reflect the international community’s concern over the possibility of offending the Palestinian Authority and Israel’s Arab neighbors, who insist that Jerusalem must become the capital of a PA state.

The U.S. Congress voted in 1995 by a wide margin to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem; however, the law also included a waiver that allows a president to block the move for a six-month period on national security grounds.  Each U.S. president has repeatedly invoked the loophole ever since, in order to avoid having to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel.