Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich signed off on reducing the lease fee for the plot where the permanent US Embassy building will be constructed in Jerusalem, in the Allenby Camp compound in the south of the city. An official handover ceremony to Ambassador Mike Huckabee is set for Wednesday at the Foreign Ministry, with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar attending; PM Netanyahu canceled his participation last minute, according to Israel Hayom's Ariel Kahana.
Israel took another concrete step toward establishing a permanent US Embassy building in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved a reduction of the lease fee for the land designated for the embassy, located in the Allenby Camp compound in southern Jerusalem. A formal ceremony transferring the plot to US Ambassador Mike Huckabee is set for Wednesday at the Foreign Ministry, attended by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to participate but canceled at the last minute, according to Ariel Kahana of Israel Hayom, who first reported the development. The government had previously authorized the allocation of the land. The move comes amid a broader push by the current administration to solidify the US diplomatic presence in Jerusalem, years after the Trump administration moved the embassy from Tel Aviv in 2018. The Zioneer has no prior reporting on this specific project timeline.
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