Israel Will Have To Pay ‘A Price’ For U.S. Embassy Move, Liberman Admits
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JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said that Israel will have to pay “a price” for the U.S. decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“There is no free lunch,” Liberman told Israel Channel 2’s Saturday night program “Meet the Press.” He added that “the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem will come at a price and it is worth paying it. We should welcome, and be prepared, to pay a price.”
The Jerusalem Post reported on Friday that U.S. officials told Liberman during his visit to Washington last week that the Trump administration plans to ask Israel to withdraw from four Arab neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem – Jebl Mukabar, Isawiya, Shuafat and Abu Dis – and transfer control to the Palestinian Authority in order to make the area the capital of a future Palestinian state. U.S. officials later denied the report, saying the U.S. peace plan is not completed.
Liberman also called the decision to move the embassy “historic, important and dramatic.” He said during the Saturday night broadcast that he believes that there could be attempts to disrupt the mid-May celebration of the embassy move, but does not expect casualties.
The Palestinian March of Return is scheduled to climax on May 14, the day of the embassy dedication, which marks the 70th anniversary, according to the Gregorian calendar, of the birth of the modern State of Israel, though Hamas has called for the protests to continue beyond mid-May.
With about a week to go before the inauguration of the embassy, which will include a ceremony attended by about 1,000 guests, including a delegation of 250 from the United States, it still is not known if President Donald Trump will attend.
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