Huckabee announces groundbreaking for permanent US Embassy in Jerusalem to be soon

“We will soon be breaking ground on our property to begin the construction of the US embassy that will be our permanent home rather than being spread out all over the country,” Huckabee said.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Sunday that the United States will soon break ground on a permanent embassy complex in Jerusalem, announcing the next step in the project during a Sukkot reception for foreign diplomats hosted by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion at Safra Square.

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“We will soon be breaking ground on our property to begin the construction of the US embassy that will be our permanent home rather than being spread out all over the country,” Huckabee told the gathering.

Israel and the United States signed an agreement July 1 allocating the Allenby Compound in southern Jerusalem for the permanent embassy. Israel had approved the site in March. The project follows President Donald Trump’s 2017 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the opening of the US Embassy there in 2018.

Huckabee acknowledged that construction could take years but described the project as a long-term American commitment to the city.

“It is our commitment as the United States of America and a partner of Israel to say that we are going to put a permanent imprint in this city,” he said.

Lion and his wife, Stavit, hosted the diplomatic corps in the municipality’s 800-square-meter sukkah, which can accommodate about 650 people at a time and which the city bills as the world’s largest. According to organizers, 46 ambassadors were invited and 32 attended.

Among them was British Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters. His attendance was noteworthy because the British Embassy remains in Tel Aviv and the UK does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem pending a negotiated settlement of the city’s status.

Lion used the traditional Sukkot theme of welcoming ushpizin, or guests, to address the diplomats.

“Tonight, you are our ushpizin,” he said, describing Jerusalem as “open, welcoming, and diverse.”

Lion urges more countries to move embassies to Jerusalem

Lion also urged more countries to move their embassies to Jerusalem, saying nine currently have missions there and Colombia is expected to become the 10th in the coming weeks. Colombia’s new government agreed earlier this year to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem as part of the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Israel.

Huckabee praised the city’s development and said the permanent embassy would make the American presence in Jerusalem harder to reverse.

“There is no way that in the future someone would ever come and try to move us out of Jerusalem, where we belong,” he said.