US Vice President Mike Pence pledged to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem by the end of 2019 on Monday in a speech to Israel’s parliament that saw Arab lawmakers expelled after they shouted in protest. As Pence spoke, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas arrived to meet European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, urging them to “swiftly” recognise the state of Palestine. “In the weeks ahead, our administration will advance its plan to open the US embassy in Jerusalem,” Pence said. Arab outrage over Trump’s Jerusalem decision on December 6 had prompted the cancellation of several planned meetings ahead of Pence’s tour. In Jerusalem, Pence repeated Trump’s view that the United States will support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “if both sides agree.”

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 22, 2018 15:00 UTC