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Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are in Israel to open the controversial US embassy in Jerusalem
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are in Israel to open the controversial US embassy in Jerusalem
Alexandra MaMay 14, 2018, 15:12 IST
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Benjamin Netanyahu/Facebook
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have arrived in Israel to open the new US embassy in Jerusalem.
The US president's daughter and son-in-law, as well as other senior administration officials, will attend the opening of the embassy later on Monday, around 4 p.m. local time.
Monday's ceremony will be largely symbolic, as the new embassy building isn't ready yet - only a small interim embassy will start operating on Monday inside the existing US consulate building in Jerusalem.
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A larger site will be found later when the rest of the existing US embassy relocates from Tel Aviv
They were joined by other senior US officials including Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who greeted them upon their arrival.
Upon their arrival on Sunday night, Trump and Kushner attended a reception at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem upon their arrival.
And here they are with Netanyahu and his wife Sara during the sounding of the US national anthem at the reception.
The US officials also had to an intimate dinner at the Netanyahu residence that evening.
Netanyahu tweeted in Hebrew on Monday: "What an exciting day for the people of Israel and the State of Israel! Once again, we were dreamers."
Ivanka thanked the Netanyahus for dinner, noting that she was "honored to join you and the US Delegation in commemorating the dedication of our new embassy and celebrating the friendship between our two countries."
Thank you Prime Minister @netanyahu & Mrs. Netanyahu for the warm welcome to Israel. I am honored to join you & the US Delegation in commemorating the dedication of our new @usembassyjlm & celebrating the friendship between our two countries. #USEmbassyJerusalem 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/DY4z9sXnnS
Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians are expected along the border of Israel and the Gaza Strip to protest the new embassy on Monday. The Israeli army said it would double the number of troops surrounding Gaza and the West Bank in anticipation.
While East Jerusalem, including the historic Old City, has been under Israeli control since 1967, Palestinians view it as the capital of any future state.
Palestinian critics see the Trump administration's recognising Jerusalem as the Israeli capital as backing Israeli control over the entire city.
Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, called the US decision "the slap of the century."
Trump will not be attending the opening ceremony, but expected to deliver a speech via video link during the ceremony, at 4 p.m. local time on Monday.
