Trump wants to visit Israel to open Jerusalem embassy

President Donald Trump says he may visit Israel in May for the opening of a new US Embassy in Jerusalem. Trump commented during an Oval Office meeting Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The new embassy is set to open in May, and Trump says he’ll head to Israel for the dedication ceremony “if I can.”

A ribbon-cutting for an interim facility is being planned to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence. Trump also said his embassy decision was “appreciated in a big part of the world.”

Netanyahu arrived at the White House on Monday for meetings with Trump. The two are holding talks and sitting down to a working lunch before Netanyahu speaks later in the week at the annual conference of the pro-Israel group, AIPAC.

The visit comes as Israelis and Palestinians await Trump’s Mideast peace plan, which has yet to arrive.