Donald Trump
Donald TrumpReuters

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to deliver a speech on Wednesday recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a senior U.S. official said on Friday, according to Reuters.

The official was not named.

The comments follow a report on Thursday that Trump was considering recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel as a gift to Israel on the occasion of its 70th Independence Day.

Two administration officials said, however, that even as Trump was considering the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, he was expected to again sign the waiver delaying the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv.

On Wednesday, Hahadashot (formerly Channel 2 News) reported that senior officials in Jerusalem said that the Israeli government expected an announcement from the White House in the coming days, announcing the embassy move and the formation of a special team to implement the move.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later denied that any such announcement was imminent.

"This is a premature report,” said Huckabee Sanders. “We have nothing to announce.”

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)