Senior US officials have mixed reactions to Trump's decision

(Baonghean.vn) - CNN news agency reported on December 6 that top officials in the administration of US President Donald Trump opposed the President's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and advised Mr. Trump not to disrupt the status quo in the region.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Photo: AP

Specifically, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Mike Pompeo all opposed the above decision.

Meanwhile, the US President's special envoy for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt and senior policy advisor, President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are said to support this decision but advise him to delay the relocation of the US ambassador from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

According to CNN, Mr. Tillerson did not side with President Trump when he made the above decision, which ended 7 decades of the US maintaining an ambiguous position on the status of the ancient city of Jerusalem and raised concerns about new conflicts in the Middle East.

However, the US foreign minister affirmed that the work of relocating the embassy will begin immediately.

“We consulted with many friends, partners, and allies before President Trump made his decision,” Mr. Tillerson said. “The State Department will immediately begin the process of implementing this decision by beginning preparations to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.”

The US Secretary of State added that Washington has implemented comprehensive security plans to ensure the safety of US citizens in areas affected by this decision. Secretary of State Tillerson also believes that “there is still a very good chance” to achieve peace in the Middle East.

Lan Ha

(According to Times of Israel)