Mayor says location near new embassy will be named to show love and respect for the president and the American people
Jerusalem traffic circle to be named for US and Trump
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat announced Tuesday that a traffic circle adjacent to the capital’s soon-to-open US embassy will name “US Square — in honor of President Donald Trump.”
The municipality plans to formally unveil the square in the presence of US officials after the opening on Monday of the embassy, which is currently a US consular building.
Trump announced on December 6 that the US would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate its embassy there from Tel Aviv.
“President Trump has decided to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people, to stand on the side of the truth, and to do the right thing,” the mayor said in a statement.
“Naming this square in honor of the president is our way of showing our love and respect for the president and the American people, who always stand by the side of Israel.”
On Monday, workers put up street signs pointing the way to the new embassy.
Small in size, the embassy will initially occupy part of the consular workspace pending planning and construction of a purpose-built embassy — a long-term project, according to the US State Department.
Trump’s unilateral decision delighted the Israelis and enraged the Palestinians, who want to make the city the capital of their future state, and who say Trump’s decision ignores their demands.
The question of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel considers the Trump declaration as recognition, albeit long delayed, of a historical fact.
To the Palestinians, it is indicative of what they say is the White House’s pro-Israel bias.
