White House reiterates Trump's support for strong US-Israel alliance

The White House on Thursday reiterated that President Donald Trump continues to favour and support a strong alliance between the United States and Israel, and added that his decision to delay the moving of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem should not be seen as dilution of that support.

In a tweet, Michael C. Short, senior assistant to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, said, "...the question is not if that move happens, but only when."

Elaborating on the issue, the Office of the White House Press Secretary said President Trump signed the waiver under the Jerusalem Embassy Act and made the decision to delay the shifting of the embassy to "maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, fulfilling his solemn obligation to defend America's national security interests."

The Office of the White House Press Secretary said that the president has always been consistent about his intention to move the embassy to Jerusalem, and it was only a question of timing to go ahead with it.