US Ambassador Mike Huckabee presented Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar with a symbolic $1 at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, representing the lease fee for the Allenby Camp compound where the permanent US Embassy building will be constructed. Sa'ar said the agreement sends a clear message to Israel's enemies that the US-Israel bond is stronger than ever.
At around 13:46 Jerusalem, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee handed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar a symbolic $1 note at the Foreign Ministry, representing the lease fee for the Allenby Camp compound where the permanent US Embassy building will be constructed. The gesture, captured by Israel Hayom's Ariel Kahana, capped a signing ceremony that formalized the land allocation — the culmination of a process that accelerated earlier this week.
The handover followed a sequence of steps The Zioneer reported in real-time. On Tuesday 30 June at 19:55 Jerusalem, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich signed off on reducing the lease fee for the site, with the official ceremony set for Wednesday and Prime Minister Netanyahu canceling his attendance at the last minute, as The Zioneer noted. At 13:46 today, Ambassador Huckabee and Israeli officials signed the land allocation agreement, with Huckabee thanking President Trump for his "brave and bold decision" to move the embassy. Minutes later, at 13:48, the symbolic dollar transfer took place — reported first via the same photographer and then confirmed by The Zioneer's own coverage. Source confidence has remained consistent: one on-the-ground journalist (Kahana) provided the initial detail, and no contradictory or alternative account has emerged.
As The Zioneer reported on Tuesday, the Allenby Camp compound in southern Jerusalem was identified as the preferred site under a bilateral agreement. The permanent building will replace the temporary embassy facility in Jerusalem's Arnona neighborhood, which has served since the embassy's relocation from Tel Aviv in 2018 following President Trump's decision.
No construction timeline has been publicly specified. The lease fee structure, beyond the symbolic dollar, has not been detailed.
3 developments
- DevelopingIsrael advances permanent US Embassy compound in Jerusalem with lease fee reduction
- DevelopingUS Ambassador Huckabee: US-Israel bond unbreakable despite tensions
- DevelopingUS Ambassador Huckabee endorses pro-Trump Iran deal defense from GOP Israel chair
- DevelopingUS Ambassador Huckabee posts full 13-minute speech, expressing love for Israel and optimism
Source and signal
- Internal intake