President Donald Trump first week is off to a frenetic start, with business leader, staff, and congressional meetings, along with a flurry of executive actions occupying his time. He's fulfilled some core campaign promises, including killing the Trans-Pacific Partnership and working to green-light two controversial pipelines. But he's already signaled he may be backing off on some of them, as the White House put the brakes on a moving the U.S. embassy to Israel to Jerusalem. In any event, the Trump White House failed to accomplish its "Day One" goals on day three.

Trump is already setting about reshaping American foreign policy, signaling Monday that he would be open to working with Russia on air strikes against the Islamic State group.

Trump repeats a lie to lawmakers. He'll keep Comey around. And a launch and a reboot.

Here are your must reads:

Donald Trump Breaks Almost All of His ‘Day One’ Promises

 Here's a wrap of what Trump promised to do on his first day in office, compared with what he actually did [Associated Press]

Trump Repeats Lie About Popular Vote in Meeting With Lawmakers

 Says falsely there were millions of ineligible votes cast [New York Times]

President Trump Hasn’t Decided on Israeli Embassy Move, Despite Campaign Pledge

 Following two of his last three predecessors [TIME]

President Trump Open to Joint Russia-U.S. Strikes In Syria

 First major shift from Obama administration on ISIS campaign [TIME]

Donald Trump’s First Press Briefing Was a Big Change

 A softer tone from his press secretary, TIME's Philip Elliott writes

Trump Takes First Steps on "America First" Foreign Policy

 Pulls U.S. out of TPP trade pact [TIME]

The First Days Inside Trump’s White House: Fury, Tumult and a Reboot

 The mercurial president's first days [Washington Post]

“We’ll have these meetings every -- whenever you need them. I would say every quarter, perhaps. You could say monthly but then all of a sudden monthly becomes repetitive.” — President Donald Trump during a meeting with business leaders Monday

"If it was already a decision, we wouldn't be going through a process." — Press Secretary Sean Spicer Monday on the process to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem

What to Know About the Ethics Lawsuit Facing President Trump [TIME]

See Just How Big Over 200 Women’s Marches Were All Across the Country [TIME]

US sent $221 million to Palestinians in Obama's last hours [Associated Press]

Trump Is Said to Keep James Comey as F.B.I. Director [New York Times]</s>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed a vote Sunday on an explosive proposal to annex one of the West Bank’s largest settlements, apparently to coordinate his policy toward the Palestinians with the new administration of President Donald Trump.

The move put on hold legislation that threatens to unleash fresh violence and damage already faded hopes for Palestinian independence. It also may mark Trump’s first foray into Middle East diplomacy.

Watch what else is making news

After eight years of frosty relations with President Barack Obama, Netanyahu has welcomed Trump’s election as an opportunity to strengthen ties between two allied nations. The two men were scheduled to talk on the phone Sunday.

With Trump signaling a more tolerant approach toward the much-maligned settlement movement, Israel’s nationalist right now believes it has an ally in the White House, and Israeli hard-line leaders make no secret they will push for aggressive action in the occupied West Bank.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the pro-settlement Jewish Home Party, has been pushing Netanyahu to abandon the internationally backed idea of a Palestinian state and to annex the Maaleh Adumim settlement near Jerusalem.

But after convening his Security Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu said his Cabinet ministers, including Bennett, had decided “unanimously” to delay action until he goes to Washington to meet with Trump. Netanyahu’s office said the Cabinet would hold further discussions ahead of the meeting, which is expected in early February.

Netanyahu and Trump spoke by phone Sunday in a call that went “very nice,” the president said in a brief comment at the White House where he swore in his senior advisers.

Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu thanked Trump for his friendship and his inaugural speech pledge to battle radical Islamic militants. Netanyahu had said they would discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the situation in Syria and the Iranian threat, among other issues.

Netanyahu, a longtime supporter of the settlements, has nonetheless been cautious about expanding them in the face of strong opposition from the international community. In a final showdown with Israel last month, the Obama administration allowed the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution condemning settlements as illegal.

But Bennett and other hard-liners believe there is no longer any reason for restraint.

“For the first time in 50 years, the prime minister can decide: either sovereignty or Palestine,” Bennett wrote on Twitter.

There was no explanation for Sunday’s delay. But earlier, an official in the Jewish Home Party said Netanyahu had been trying to delay the Cabinet vote at the request of the Trump administration, which did not want to be blind-sided by unilateral Israeli steps. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss internal coalition negotiations.

Annexing Maaleh Adumim, a sprawling settlement of nearly 40,000 people east of Jerusalem, could cause a major clash with the Palestinians and the rest of the international community.

The Palestinians seek all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem _ areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war _ for a future state. The Palestinians and the international community consider all settlements illegal, and unilaterally making Maaleh Adumim part of Israel would deal a powerful blow to hopes for a two-state solution.

To the Palestinians, it would be seen as undermining negotiations. Maaleh Adumim is also strategically located in the middle of the West Bank, potentially hindering the establishment of their state.

“If they are serious about making it part of Israel and closing it down, then it is actually cutting the West Bank into two,” said Hagit Ofran of the anti-settlement group Peace Now.

While Trump has not expressed an opinion on the annexation, he has signaled a kinder approach toward the settlement movement than any of his predecessors.

His designated ambassador to Israel has close ties to Jewish West Bank settlements, and a delegation of settler leaders attended Friday’s inauguration as guests of administration officials.

Trump also has already said he supports one of Israel’s key demands _ moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The president ignored a question Sunday from reporters about plans to move the embassy.

The U.S., like all other countries, maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv, saying the conflicting claims to Jerusalem must be worked out in negotiations.

Trump, however, faces heavy pressure from the Palestinians and Arab countries against moving the embassy. The fate of east Jerusalem, home to the city’s most sensitive religious sites, is deeply emotional, and disagreements have boiled over into violence in the past.

The White House dispelled rumors that Trump had imminent plans to announce the move. It said it was only at the “very beginning” of discussing plans to move the embassy.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has sent a series of messages to Trump urging him not to move the embassy and warning that he would revoke recognition of Israel if the move takes place.

Abbas met Sunday with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman. Jordan, which serves as the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, has warned that moving the embassy would cross a “red line.” Jordan is a key Israeli and Western ally in the battle against Islamic militants.

“We discussed the possibility of moving the embassy, and we say that if this thing happens, then we have measures that we agreed to implement together with Jordan,” Abbas said. “And we hope that the American administration will not do that.”

Also Sunday, Jerusalem city officials granted building permits for 566 new homes in east Jerusalem. The permits had been put on hold for the final months of the Obama administration.

“We’ve been through eight tough years with Obama pressuring to freeze construction,” said Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. “I hope that era is over and we now we can build and develop Jerusalem for the welfare of its residents, Jews and Arabs alike.”

Unlike other West Bank settlements, Israel annexed east Jerusalem and considers its neighborhoods inseparable parts of its capital. But the annexation is not internationally recognized.

Palestinian official Nabil Abu Rdeneh and condemned the building plans and called on the U.N. to act. “It is time to stop dealing with Israel as a state above the law,” he said.</s>JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed a vote Sunday on an explosive proposal to annex one of the West Bank's largest settlements, apparently to coordinate his policy toward the Palestinians with the new administration of President Donald Trump.

The move put on hold legislation that threatens to unleash fresh violence and damage already faded hopes for Palestinian independence. It also may mark Trump's first foray into Middle East diplomacy.

After eight years of frosty relations with President Barack Obama, Netanyahu has welcomed Trump's election as an opportunity to strengthen ties between two allied nations. The two men were scheduled to talk on the phone Sunday.

With Trump signaling a more tolerant approach toward the much-maligned settlement movement, Israel's nationalist right now believes it has an ally in the White House, and Israeli hard-line leaders make no secret they will push for aggressive action in the occupied West Bank.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the pro-settlement Jewish Home Party, has been pushing Netanyahu to abandon the internationally backed idea of a Palestinian state and to annex the Maaleh Adumim settlement near Jerusalem.

But after convening his Security Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu said his Cabinet ministers, including Bennett, had decided "unanimously" to delay action until he goes to Washington to meet with Trump. Netanyahu's office said the Cabinet would hold further discussions ahead of the meeting, which is expected in early February.

Netanyahu and Trump spoke by phone Sunday in a call that went "very nice," the president said in a brief comment at the White House where he swore in his senior advisers.

Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu thanked Trump for his friendship and his inaugural speech pledge to battle radical Islamic militants. Netanyahu had said they would discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the situation in Syria and the Iranian threat, among other issues.

Netanyahu, a longtime supporter of the settlements, has nonetheless been cautious about expanding them in the face of strong opposition from the international community. In a final showdown with Israel last month, the Obama administration allowed the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution condemning settlements as illegal.

But Bennett and other hard-liners believe there is no longer any reason for restraint.

"For the first time in 50 years, the prime minister can decide: either sovereignty or Palestine," Bennett wrote on Twitter.

There was no explanation for Sunday's delay. But earlier, an official in the Jewish Home Party said Netanyahu had been trying to delay the Cabinet vote at the request of the Trump administration, which did not want to be blind-sided by unilateral Israeli steps. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss internal coalition negotiations.

Annexing Maaleh Adumim, a sprawling settlement of nearly 40,000 people east of Jerusalem, could cause a major clash with the Palestinians and the rest of the international community.

The Palestinians seek all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem — areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war — for a future state. The Palestinians and the international community consider all settlements illegal, and unilaterally making Maaleh Adumim part of Israel would deal a powerful blow to hopes for a two-state solution.

To the Palestinians, it would be seen as undermining negotiations. Maaleh Adumim is also strategically located in the middle of the West Bank, potentially hindering the establishment of their state.

"If they are serious about making it part of Israel and closing it down, then it is actually cutting the West Bank into two," said Hagit Ofran of the anti-settlement group Peace Now.

While Trump has not expressed an opinion on the annexation, he has signaled a kinder approach toward the settlement movement than any of his predecessors.

His designated ambassador to Israel has close ties to Jewish West Bank settlements, and a delegation of settler leaders attended Friday's inauguration as guests of administration officials.

Trump also has already said he supports one of Israel's key demands — moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The president ignored a question Sunday from reporters about plans to move the embassy.

The U.S., like all other countries, maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv, saying the conflicting claims to Jerusalem must be worked out in negotiations.

Trump, however, faces heavy pressure from the Palestinians and Arab countries against moving the embassy. The fate of east Jerusalem, home to the city's most sensitive religious sites, is deeply emotional, and disagreements have boiled over into violence in the past.

The White House dispelled rumors that Trump had imminent plans to announce the move. It said it was only at the "very beginning" of discussing plans to move the embassy.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has sent a series of messages to Trump urging him not to move the embassy and warning that he would revoke recognition of Israel if the move takes place.

Abbas met Sunday with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman. Jordan, which serves as the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, has warned that moving the embassy would cross a "red line." Jordan is a key Israeli and Western ally in the battle against Islamic militants.

"We discussed the possibility of moving the embassy, and we say that if this thing happens, then we have measures that we agreed to implement together with Jordan," Abbas said. "And we hope that the American administration will not do that."

Also Sunday, Jerusalem city officials granted building permits for 566 new homes in east Jerusalem. The permits had been put on hold for the final months of the Obama administration.

"We've been through eight tough years with Obama pressuring to freeze construction," said Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. "I hope that era is over and we now we can build and develop Jerusalem for the welfare of its residents, Jews and Arabs alike."

Unlike other West Bank settlements, Israel annexed east Jerusalem and considers its neighborhoods inseparable parts of its capital. But the annexation is not internationally recognized.

Palestinian official Nabil Abu Rdeneh and condemned the building plans and called on the U.N. to act. "It is time to stop dealing with Israel as a state above the law," he said.</s>Donald Trump's fascination with TV ratings as proof of his popularity -- and his willingness to exaggerate them in self-serving and wholly inaccurate ways -- is nothing new.

Both NBC executives and reporters dealt with this phenomenon while Trump was hosting "Celebrity Apprentice." The show was in the top tier of ratings during its heyday, but by the end of Trump's run as host, its Nielsen numbers had fallen dramatically.

Nevertheless, Trump continued to proclaim the series the No. 1 show on television as late as January 2015, when he appeared at the Television Critics Association tour to promote the new season.

At the time, the reality program had slipped to an average of about 7 million viewers, per Nielsen data, meaning that it wasn't just not number one among primetime network series, but in fact ranked in the 40s.

Many of the TV press in attendance mocked Trump's claims on Twitter, with one calling him "delusional" and another saying he "has no fear about facts." Mediaite assembled the comments under the headline, "TV Critics Laugh at Trump for Wrongly Boasting About Apprentice Ratings."

But that was only one example of a long-running campaign by Trump.

Television reporters, including former colleagues of mine at Variety, spoke of receiving phone calls from Trump to spin "Apprentice" ratings during its run.

In interviews with CNN's Gloria Borger last June, former NBC executives also spoke about Trump's persistence in saying the show was No. 1 long after its numbers had declined.

Related: 'Alternative facts:' Why the Trump team is 'planting a flag' in war on media

"In his mind, if you were number one once, you are always number one," Jeff Gaspin, who oversaw reality programming for the network at the time, told Borger, adding that there was "no point" in correcting Trump because the goal was to keep him happy and willing to perform and appear at network events.

Jim Dowd, who oversaw publicity for the show at NBC, added, "I've never seen anyone in the television industry, and I've been in it 20 years, who cared as deeply about ratings, positive or negative, as Donald Trump."

Trump's false claims about "Apprentice" ratings dominated the public portion of the TCA session in 2015, but he was also asked about his involvement in politics. Trump said he had no interest in running for governor of New York, and that he was devoted to his businesses.

Taking questions after the session, though, Trump said he was still seriously considering a presidential run, and that the season finale of "Celebrity Apprentice" in February would afford him plenty of time before making a decision without violating equal-time rules that would force him to give up hosting the show.

"The last thing we need is another Bush," he said.</s>President Donald Trump first week is off to a frenetic start, with business leader, staff, and congressional meetings, along with a flurry of executive actions occupying his time. He's fulfilled some core campaign promises, including killing the Trans-Pacific Partnership and working to green-light two controversial pipelines. But he's already signaled he may be backing off on some of them, as the White House put the brakes on a moving the U.S. embassy to Israel to Jerusalem. In any event, the Trump White House failed to accomplish its "Day One" goals on day three.

Trump is already setting about reshaping American foreign policy, signaling Monday that he would be open to working with Russia on air strikes against the Islamic State group.

Trump repeats a lie to lawmakers. He'll keep Comey around. And a launch and a reboot.

Here are your must reads:

Donald Trump Breaks Almost All of His ‘Day One’ Promises

 Here's a wrap of what Trump promised to do on his first day in office, compared with what he actually did [Associated Press]

Trump Repeats Lie About Popular Vote in Meeting With Lawmakers

 Says falsely there were millions of ineligible votes cast [New York Times]

President Trump Hasn’t Decided on Israeli Embassy Move, Despite Campaign Pledge

 Following two of his last three predecessors [TIME]

President Trump Open to Joint Russia-U.S. Strikes In Syria

 First major shift from Obama administration on ISIS campaign [TIME]

Donald Trump’s First Press Briefing Was a Big Change

 A softer tone from his press secretary, TIME's Philip Elliott writes

Trump Takes First Steps on "America First" Foreign Policy

 Pulls U.S. out of TPP trade pact [TIME]

The First Days Inside Trump’s White House: Fury, Tumult and a Reboot

 The mercurial president's first days [Washington Post]

“We’ll have these meetings every -- whenever you need them. I would say every quarter, perhaps. You could say monthly but then all of a sudden monthly becomes repetitive.” — President Donald Trump during a meeting with business leaders Monday

"If it was already a decision, we wouldn't be going through a process." — Press Secretary Sean Spicer Monday on the process to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem

What to Know About the Ethics Lawsuit Facing President Trump [TIME]

See Just How Big Over 200 Women’s Marches Were All Across the Country [TIME]

US sent $221 million to Palestinians in Obama's last hours [Associated Press]

Trump Is Said to Keep James Comey as F.B.I. Director [New York Times]</s>The municipality of Jerusalem granted final approval Sunday for the construction of hundreds of new homes in east Jerusalem, while a hard-line Cabinet minister pushed the government to annex a major West Bank settlement as emboldened Israeli nationalists welcomed the presidency of Donald Trump . After eight years of testy ties with President Barack Obama , Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is looking forward to a new era of close relations with the U.S. under Trump.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Houston Chronicle.</s>Announcement of construction in occupied Palestinian territories is second since Donald Trump became US president

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Israel has approved a massive new building programme of Jewish settlement homes in the occupied Palestinian territories, following hard on the heels of the swearing-in of the US president, Donald Trump.

The defiant move, in opposition to most recent international opinion, comes as Israeli politicians have rushed to exploit what they see as a pro-Israel and pro-settlement US administration.

The announcement of 2,500 new housing units in the West Bank is one of the largest in years and marks a comprehensive rejection of December’s UN security council resolution, which described settlement building as a “flagrant violation” of international law and an obstacle to peace.

The decision, approved by the rightwing Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his defence minister, Avigdor Lieberman, seems certain to further increase tensions with Palestinians and the wider Middle East, already high over the Trump administration’s proposal to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said the move would have “consequences”. “The decision will hinder any attempt to restore security and stability; it will reinforce extremism and terrorism and will place obstacles in the path of any effort to start a peace process that will lead to security and peace,” he added.

The plans were condemned by Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s executive committee. She said: “It is evident that Israel is exploiting the inauguration of the new American administration to escalate its violations and the prevention of any existence of a Palestinian state.”

Although the Israeli government said the majority of new homes would be built in “major settlement blocs”, which Israel wants to keep as part of any eventual peace settlement, a number will be built in controversial hardline settlements, including Beit El.

Beit El is a settlement near Ramallah, in which Trump’s pick for the new US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, has been involved. It has also received funding from the family of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to Israeli media reports.

A day earlier, Netanyahu had told his security cabinet that he was also lifting all restrictions on Israeli construction in occupied East Jerusalem. That followed the approval on Sunday by the Jerusalem municipality of hundreds of new homes in East Jerusalem.

In a marked shift in policy, the US government – which has in the past usually been quick to condemn new settlement announcements – remained silent even as European countries denounced the plans.

At the time of writing there had been no US comment on Tuesday’s settlement construction announcement either.

About 400,000 settlers live in the West Bank and a further 200,000 in East Jerusalem, which Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war.

Justifying the move, Lieberman said he and Netanyahu had agreed on the approval “in response to housing needs”.

“We are building and we will continue to build,” Netanyahu wrote, in a brief Facebook post.

Settlement construction was a contentious area of disagreement during the Obama years, when the White House sided with the Palestinians and the international community in condemning it as an obstacle to peace.

According to the anti-occupation group Peace Now, the first six months of 2016 saw Israel begin construction on some 1,195 new settlement units in the West Bank — which at the time was said to be a 40% increase on the previous six-month period.

Trump has signalled a softer approach to the settlements, and some of his top aides have close ties to the settler movement.

Oded Revivi, a key leader of the West Bank settlement movement, which led a delegation to the Trump inauguration, said he hoped the announcement was “just the beginning of a wave of new building … with the blessing of the new Trump administration”.

Trump has not outlined a vision for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, although he has said he would be keen to broker a peace deal. His election platform made no mention of a Palestinian state.

His pledge to move the US embassy from coastal Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is vehemently opposed by the Palestinians. But since taking office, the White House has been vague about its plans for the embassy.

Netanyahu has been under mounting political pressure both from the far right in his coalition, which has been pushing him to exploit the new attitude of the Trump administration, and also from an escalating police investigation into alleged corruption.

The pro-settler Jewish Home party, led by education minister, Naftali Bennett, wants Netanyahu to move ahead with an explosive bill that would annex Maaleh Adumim, a major settlement of nearly 40,000 people near Jerusalem.

A vote on the legislation, which threatens to unleash fresh violence and damage already faded hopes for Palestinian independence, was put on hold this week, apparently so Netanyahu could coordinate his policy towards the Palestinians with the new administration. He is scheduled to visit the White House in early February.

The recent announcements on settlement plans for East Jerusalem and the West Bank have been seen by some as Netanyahu’s way of keeping the far right on side while avoiding the annexation issue.

Despite his promises to build, Netanyahu has also called for restraint, saying he doesn’t want to surprise the Trump administration. He said he intends to deploy “responsible and informed diplomacy” with the new US leadership.</s>JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday delayed a vote on a proposal to annex one of the West Bank's largest settlements, a move that gives him time to coordinate his policy toward the Palestinians with the new administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the pro-settlement Jewish Home Party, has been pushing Netanyahu to abandon the idea of a Palestinian state and to annex the Maaleh Adumim settlement near Jerusalem.

But after convening his Security Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu said his Cabinet ministers, including Bennett, had decided "unanimously" to delay action until Netanyahu goes to Washington to meet with Trump. Netanyahu's office said the Cabinet would hold further discussions ahead of the meeting, which is expected in early February.

Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu thanked Trump for his friendship and his inaugural-speech pledge to eradicate radical Islamic terrorism. Netanyahu said they would discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the situation in Syria and the Iranian threat, among other issues.

Netanyahu has welcomed Trump's election as an opportunity to strengthen ties with the United States. The two men spoke Sunday in a phone call that was "very nice," Trump said in a brief comment at the White House.

Netanyahu, a longtime supporter of the settlements, has been cautious about expanding them in the face of strong opposition from the international community. The administration of former President Barack Obama last month allowed the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution condemning settlements as illegal.

But Bennett and others believe that with Trump's election, there is no longer any reason not to expand the settlements and add West Bank territory to Israel.

"For the first time in 50 years, the prime minister can decide: either sovereignty or Palestine," Bennett wrote on Twitter.

An official in the Jewish Home Party said Netanyahu had been trying to delay the Cabinet vote at the request of the Trump administration, which did not want to be blind-sided by unilateral Israeli steps. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss internal coalition negotiations.

Maaleh Adumim is a sprawling settlement of nearly 40,000 people east of Jerusalem. Palestinians oppose any move to make it part of Israel. They seek all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem -- areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war -- for a future state.

Maaleh Adumim is also strategically located in the middle of the West Bank.

"If they are serious about making it part of Israel and closing it down, then it is actually cutting the West Bank into two," said Hagit Ofran of the anti-settlement group Peace Now.

While Trump has not expressed an opinion on the annexation, he has said he supports one of Israel's key demands -- moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The U.S., like other countries, maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv, saying the conflicting claims to Jerusalem must be worked out in negotiations.

The president did not respond to a reporter's question Sunday about plans to move the embassy. White House officials said the U.S. was only at the "very beginning" of discussing plans for a move.

In a series of messages sent to Trump, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has urged against an embassy move and warned that he would revoke recognition of Israel if a move took place.

Abbas met Sunday with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman. Jordan, which serves as the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, has warned that moving the embassy would cross a "red line." Jordan is a key Israeli and Western ally in the battle against Islamic militants.

"We discussed the possibility of moving the embassy, and we say that if this thing happens, then we have measures that we agreed to implement together with Jordan," Abbas said. "And we hope that the American administration will not do that."

Also Sunday, Jerusalem officials granted building permits for 566 new homes in east Jerusalem. The permits had been put on hold for the final months of the Obama administration.

"We've been through eight tough years with Obama pressuring to freeze construction," said Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. "I hope that era is over and now we can build and develop Jerusalem for the welfare of its residents, Jews and Arabs alike."</s>The municipality of Jerusalem granted final approval overnight for the construction of hundreds of new homes in east Jerusalem as emboldened Israeli nationalists welcomed the presidency of Donald Trump.

After eight years of testy ties with President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is looking forward to a new era of close relations with the US under Mr Trump. The two were scheduled to talk on the phone later today.

At his weekly Cabinet meeting, Mr Netanyahu thanked Mr Trump for his friendship and his inauguration speech pledge to battle radical Islamic militants. He said they would discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the situation in Syria and the Iranian threat, among other issues.

More hawkish elements in his coalition, however, are already calling for concrete action given Mr Trump's perceived acquiescence to Israeli settlement building.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the pro-settler Jewish Home Party, was pressing the government to back legislation that would annex Maaleh Adumim, a sprawling West Bank settlement just east of Jerusalem. He also urged Mr Netanyahu to abandon his stated position in favour of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Mr Netanyahu, a longtime supporter of the settlements, has nonetheless been cautious about expanding them in the face of strong opposition from the US and other Western allies. With Mr Trump signalling a much softer line toward the settlements, Israeli hard-liners say there is no longer any reason to show restraint.

"For the first time in 50 years, the prime minister can decide: either sovereignty or Palestine," Bennett wrote on Twitter.

An official in the Jewish Home Party said Mr Netanyahu was urging Bennett to put his proposal on hold. Mr Netanyahu said that he had been asked by Trump administration officials not to take any major action without proper coordination, the official said.

The official said Jewish Home officials were sceptical of Mr Netanyahu's claims and would continue to push the government to approve the annexation measure. Mr Netanyahu's office declined to comment.

Such a move would cause a major clash with the Palestinians and the rest of the international community, which consider settlements to be illegal.

The Palestinians seek all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem — areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war — for a future independent state.</s>JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister says he doesn't want to surprise the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, while recognizing the "significant opportunities" the new president may present.

Netanyahu has been under fierce pressure from hardline coalition partners to step up settlement activities, particularly under a new U.S. administration that is expected to be more accepting of Israel's settlement policies.

On Sunday, Netanyahu delayed a vote on an explosive proposal to annex one of the West Bank's largest settlements, apparently to coordinate his policy toward the Palestinians with Washington.

Netanyahu told a meeting of his Likud party Monday "this is not the time to shoot from the hip" and he intends to deploy "responsible and informed diplomacy" with the new administration.

Netanyahu and Trump are expected to meet in Washington next month.
Israel approves the construction of 2,500 more new settlement homes in the West Bank, the most in years and the second time new homes were approved since Donald Trump was inaugurated as President of the United States.