WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement on Wednesday after President Trump announced that his administration will begin plans to relocate the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move could spark a wave of violence, jeopardize peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and undermine American foreign policy interests. Trump is the first American president to announce plans to relocate the Embassy.

“Israel is our most important ally in the Middle East,” said Murphy. “Jerusalem is and always will be the capital of the state of Israel. I continue to believe that we should recognize it as such and move our embassy there when the time is right as part of a comprehensive peace agreement. But former Republican and Democratic presidents alike have understood the monumental security and foreign policy challenges inherent in moving our embassy, and have decided to delay the move in order to focus on making peace. I am concerned that President Trump’s decision was made without fully considering the political and security implications, and will further set back any hope of a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. If we mess this up, it could lead to violence in Israel and across the Middle East, put American diplomats in harm’s way and jeopardize the fragile regional partnerships we have in our fight against ISIS.

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