Huckabee announces plan to break ground on permanent US Embassy in Jerusalem

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced Sunday that the US will soon break ground on a permanent embassy complex in Jerusalem, speaking at a Sukkot reception hosted by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion. Huckabee said the project will consolidate US diplomatic operations currently spread across the country into a single permanent site at the Allenby Compound, marking the next phase following President Donald Trump's 2017 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The announcement follows a July 1 agreement between Israel and the US allocating the Allenby Compound for the permanent embassy.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced Sunday that the United States will soon break ground on a permanent embassy complex in Jerusalem, marking the next phase of a project that began with President Donald Trump's 2017 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Speaking at a Sukkot reception hosted by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion at Safra Square, Huckabee told the gathering of diplomats: "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." The announcement follows a July 1 agreement between Israel and the US allocating the Allenby Compound in southern Jerusalem for the permanent embassy, a site Israel approved in March. Huckabee acknowledged construction could take years but framed the project as a long-term commitment, saying: "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." Lion and his wife hosted the diplomatic corps in the municipality's 800-square-meter sukkah, which the city bills as the world's largest. Of 46 ambassadors invited, 32 attended, including British Ambassador Simon Walters, whose presence was noteworthy given the UK's policy of not recognizing Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. Lion 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. Huckabee said the permanent embassy would make the American presence in Jerusalem harder to reverse, stating: "There is no way that in the future someone would ever come and try to move us out of Jerusalem, where we belong."