U.S. President Donald Trump said he might travel to Israel for the inauguration of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, scheduled to happen in May.
"I may. I may. They have started, as you know, construction and I may. We're looking at coming. If I can, I will," Trump said on Monday as he received Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
According to the CNN, the Trump administration announced plans last month to develop a temporary consular facility in Jerusalem, as the new U.S. embassy is years away from its completion, although the administration had earlier rejected that proposal.
After opening the embassy in May, a temporary office space will be built at the consular facility by the end of 2019, as the U.S. works to identify a site and build a permanent embassy in Jerusalem.
The new embassy plans were made after Trump announced last December that he recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel over Tel Aviv, a decision Trump said, "is something that's very much appreciated in Israel".
However, the decision has stalled the US-led peace process, causing outrage in the Arab world with Palestinian leaders rejecting U.S.' involvement in brokering a resolution to the age-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Trump, though remains upbeat about the peace process, saying, "we have a very good chance" of achieving success, indicating that the Palestinians wanted to come back to the negotiating table "very badly".
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