US President Barack Obama on Thursday again invoked a six-month delay on the move of the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
The US Congress in 1995 passed a law recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and demanding that the embassy, which is currently in Tel Aviv, be relocated there. But the law also allowed the president the ability to delay the move for a period of six months if national security concerns warranted.
Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both renewed the delay every six months for the duration of their presidencies. Obama first ordered the delay in June.
The White House has failed to approve the move out of fears that it would upset the Palestinians and the Arab world, which claim the eastern side of Jerusalem for themselves, and reject the legitimacy of Jewish sovereignty there.