Trump, in his long campaign for the presidency, vowed to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem to concur with the Israeli government's long-standing preference. But the issue is caught in the unending debate over the creation of separate Jewish and Palestinian states, with both the Israelis and Palestinians claiming Jerusalem as their capitals.
The White House said Thursday that Trump's decision to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv, where most other foreign governments also have stationed their Israeli diplomats, should not be considered "in any way a retreat from the president's strong support for Israel and for the United States-Israel alliance."
The White House statement said Trump made the choice "to maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians."
"As he has repeatedly stated his intention to move the embassy," White House officials said, "the question is not if that move happens, but only when."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was disappointed with Trump's decision. However, Netanyahu said he hopes the U.S. embassy will eventually move to Jerusalem and that he appreciates the U.S. president's expression of friendship.
"Israel's consistent position is that the American embassy, like the embassies of all countries with whom we have diplomatic relations, should be in Jerusalem, our eternal capital," Netanyahu said.
川普在总统竞选中多次表示要将美国大使馆迁往耶路撒冷，而以色列政府长期希望美国能这样做。 但是，这个问题被卷入有关犹太人和巴勒斯坦人分别建国的无休止辩论之中。以色列和巴勒斯坦人都声称耶路撒冷是他们的首都。
白宫星期四说，大多数外国驻以色列使馆都在特拉维夫。川普有关不迁馆的决定不应被视为“总统在强烈支持以色列和美以联盟方面有任何退缩 ”。
白宫声明说，川普做出了这样的选择，是“要将以色列和巴勒斯坦人成功谈判达成协议的可能性最大化“。
白宫官员说，川普多次表示要迁移使馆，“问题不是迁不迁，而是什么时候迁”。
以色列总理内塔尼亚胡表示，他对川普的决定感到失望。 不过，内塔尼亚胡表示，希望美国大使馆最终能迁往耶路撒冷，并赞赏川普总统的友好表示。
内塔尼亚胡说：“以色列的一贯立场是，美国使馆，像与我们有外交关系的所有国家的大使馆一样，都应该设在我们的永久的首都--耶路撒冷。”