Jerusalem embassy: US officials to attend opening ceremony

The US is to open its new embassy in Jerusalem - a move praised by Israel but condemned by Palestinians who are gathering for mass protests.

Senior US officials will attend Monday's ceremony, including President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner.

Most EU envoys will not be present.

Mr Trump's decision to move the embassy from Tel Aviv has angered Palestinians, who claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Israel took control of East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war, and regards the city as its "eternal and undivided" capital.

President Trump's decision last year to recognise it as Israel's capital broke with decades of US neutrality on the issue, and put it at odds with most of the international community.

• What makes Jerusalem so holy?
• Why do evangelicals support Trump on Jerusalem?

What will be opened and who will attend?

A small interim embassy will start operating on Monday inside the existing US consulate building in Jerusalem.

A larger site will be found later when the rest of the embassy moves from Tel Aviv.

The opening ceremony was brought forward to coincide with the state of Israel's 70th anniversary.

President Trump is expected to address those attending Monday's event via video link.

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionIvanka Trump greets US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman with her husband Jared Kushner (R) at Ben Gurion International Airport

Alongside Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, who are both senior White House advisers, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan will be at the ceremony.

The EU has voiced strong objections to the embassy move, and most EU ambassadors in Israel will not attend the event.

However, dozens of other foreign diplomats are expected, including representatives from Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic - which reportedly blocked a joint EU statement on the issue.

The presidents of Guatemala and Paraguay are also set to attend; both countries decided to move their embassies to Jerusalem after Mr Trump made his announcement.

Who did Israel and Palestinians react?

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionIsraelis have been in a jubilatory mood

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on "all countries to join the US in moving their embassies to Jerusalem".

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has described Mr Trump's decision as the "slap of the century".

Image copyrightEPA

Image captionPalestinians have staged protests against the opening of the US embassy

Thousands of Palestinians are gathering for a protest along the perimeter fence that separates Israel and the Gaza Strip on Monday.

The timing of the embassy move has led to concerns about increased tension in Gaza.

Since the end of March, more than 40 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers in protests at the border.

UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has accused Israel of using "excessive force".

Israel maintains it has acted legitimately to protect its civilians from militants trying to breach the border.

Why is the move so controversial?

The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem is not recognised internationally and, according to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accords, the final status of Jerusalem is meant to be discussed in the latter stages of peace talks.

 Since 1967, Israel has built a dozen settlements, home to about 200,000 Jews, in East Jerusalem. These are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

Various countries once had embassies based in Jerusalem - but many moved after a 1980 law saw the country explicitly claim the city's east, despite UN objections.

The day after Israel marks the anniversary of its statehood, Palestinians commemorate what they refer to as the Nakba or Catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands of their people fled their homes or were displaced following the foundation of the Israeli state in 1948.