A square near the new American embassy in Jerusalem's Arnona neighborhood is to be named in honor of President Donald Trump, a Hebrew-language Facebook post by the city's mayor, Nir Barkat, announced on Tuesday.

Under the title "Jerusalem returns the love to Trump," Barkat announced: "We have decided that the square adjacent to the embassy in the capital will be called "United States Square – in honor of President Donald Trump."

The official transfer of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the dedication of the embassy, which had up to now served as an American consular office, will occur on May 14.

>> One week to opening of U.S. embassy in Jerusalem: Everything you need to know <<

Trump announced the controversial plan to transfer the embassy in December, saying: "It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," and calling it "nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. It's something that has to be done." Trump added at the time: "We are not taking a position of any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem or the resolution of contested borders."

The Palestinians are seeking to establish the capital of an independent Palestinian state in the eastern part of the city.

>> Jerusalem for dummies part 1: Why the world doesn't recognize it as Israel's capital ■ Jerusalem for dummies, part 2: What the Palestinians want</s>JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Paraguay will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem by the end of May, a Paraguay government spokesman and the Israeli foreign ministry said on Monday, following the United States and Guatemala.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest disputes between Israel, which says the city is its eternal and indivisible capital, and the Palestinians, who want the eastern part of the city as the capital of their own future state.

“Paraguay President Horacio Cartes plans to come to Israel by the end of the month to open an embassy in Jerusalem,” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said in a statement.

A Paraguay government spokesman said Cartes was scheduling a trip to Israel to move the embassy on May 21 or May 22.

In a visit to Venezuela to meet his counterpart there Nicolas Maduro, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he hoped other nations would not follow Paraguay, Guatemala and the United States.

“We hope that other countries on the American continent are not going to move their embassies to Jerusalem as this acts against international law,” said Abbas.

The announcement comes one week before the United States embassy opens in Jerusalem on May 14 in accordance with President Donald Trump’s Dec. 6 recognition of the city as Israel’s capital.

The U.S. move has delighted Israel and infuriated Palestinians.

Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordanian control in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally.

In March Guatemala’s president, Jimmy Morales, said that his country would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 16, two days after the U.S. move.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in April that “at least half a dozen” countries were now “seriously discussing” following the U.S. lead, but he did not identify them.

In December, 128 countries voted in a non-binding U.N. General Assembly resolution calling on the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Nine voted against, 35 abstained and 21 did not cast a vote.

Paraguay’s embassy is currently located near Tel Aviv.</s>The mayor of Jerusalem announced on Tuesday that his city will be honoring President Donald Trump with the naming of a square near the new United States’ Israeli embassy.

Mayor Nir Barkat said the location’s name will be “United States Square in honor of President Donald Trump.”

“This is the way in which Jerusalem returns love to the president and residents of the United States who stand by the state of Israel,” the mayor said in a news release, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“President Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people, stand on the side of historical truth and do the right thing,” Barkat added.

The mayor tweeted a picture of the square, which he wrote is next to the embassy.

Trump announced his intention to move the United States’ embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in December.

“That city is Israel’s capital,” Trump said at the time, according to CNBC. “It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”

The president added moving the embassy “is nothing less than a recognition of reality.”

Israel’s center of government is in Jerusalem, including its legislature, the Knesset, and the official residence of the prime minister.

Trump noted in December that “while previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.”

The United States plans to open its new embassy — which will be located where the U.S. consulate currently exists — on Monday, May 14. The date coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the modern state of Israel.

The United States, under the leadership of then-President Harry Truman, was the first nation to officially recognize the independence of Israel in 1948.

The U.S. was also the first nation to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by moving its embassy there. Guatemala announced in March it plans to do the same. All other nations’ embassies in Israel are located in Tel Aviv, Newsweek reported.

Barkat proudly posted photos of a new road sign he hung this week showing the way to the American embassy.

“Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people — and the world is beginning to recognize this face!” Barkat wrote.

According to the biblical account, Jerusalem first became the capital of the Jewish people around 1,000 B.C. under the leadership of King David.

Pastor John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, told Fox News, “(President Trump) will be remembered for thousands of years for his act of courage to treat Israel like we already treat other nations.”

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>The mayor of Jerusalem announced on Tuesday that his city will be honoring President Donald Trump with the naming of a square near the new United States’ Israeli embassy.

Mayor Nir Barkat said the location’s name will be “United States Square in honor of President Donald Trump.”

“This is the way in which Jerusalem returns love to the president and residents of the United States who stand by the state of Israel,” the mayor said in a news release, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“President Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people, stand on the side of historical truth and do the right thing,” Barkat added.

The mayor tweeted a picture of the square, which he wrote is next to the embassy.

Trump announced his intention to move the United States’ embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in December.

“That city is Israel’s capital,” Trump said at the time, according to CNBC. “It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”

The president added moving the embassy “is nothing less than a recognition of reality.”

Israel’s center of government is in Jerusalem, including its legislature, the Knesset, and the official residence of the prime minister.

Trump noted in December that “while previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.”

The United States plans to open its new embassy — which will be located where the U.S. consulate currently exists — on Monday, May 14. The date coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the modern state of Israel.

The United States, under the leadership of then-President Harry Truman, was the first nation to officially recognize the independence of Israel in 1948.

The U.S. was also the first nation to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by moving its embassy there. Guatemala announced in March it plans to do the same. All other nations’ embassies in Israel are located in Tel Aviv, Newsweek reported.

Barkat proudly posted photos of a new road sign he hung this week showing the way to the American embassy.

“Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people — and the world is beginning to recognize this face!” Barkat wrote.

According to the biblical account, Jerusalem first became the capital of the Jewish people around 1,000 B.C. under the leadership of King David.

Pastor John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, told Fox News, “(President Trump) will be remembered for thousands of years for his act of courage to treat Israel like we already treat other nations.”

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>The mayor of Jerusalem announced on Tuesday that his city will be honoring President Donald Trump with the naming of a square near the new United States’ Israeli embassy.

Mayor Nir Barkat said the location’s name will be “United States Square in honor of President Donald Trump.”

“This is the way in which Jerusalem returns love to the president and residents of the United States who stand by the state of Israel,” the mayor said in a news release, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“President Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people, stand on the side of historical truth and do the right thing,” Barkat added.

The mayor tweeted a picture of the square, which he wrote is next to the embassy.

Trump announced his intention to move the United States’ embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in December.

“That city is Israel’s capital,” Trump said at the time, according to CNBC. “It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”

The president added moving the embassy “is nothing less than a recognition of reality.”

Israel’s center of government is in Jerusalem, including its legislature, the Knesset, and the official residence of the prime minister.

Trump noted in December that “while previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.”

The United States plans to open its new embassy — which will be located where the U.S. consulate currently exists — on Monday, May 14. The date coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the modern state of Israel.

The United States, under the leadership of then-President Harry Truman, was the first nation to officially recognize the independence of Israel in 1948.

The U.S. was also the first nation to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by moving its embassy there. Guatemala announced in March it plans to do the same. All other nations’ embassies in Israel are located in Tel Aviv, Newsweek reported.

Barkat proudly posted photos of a new road sign he hung this week showing the way to the American embassy.

“Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people — and the world is beginning to recognize this face!” Barkat wrote.

According to the biblical account, Jerusalem first became the capital of the Jewish people around 1,000 B.C. under the leadership of King David.

Pastor John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, told Fox News, “(President Trump) will be remembered for thousands of years for his act of courage to treat Israel like we already treat other nations.”

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>The mayor of Jerusalem announced on Tuesday that his city will be honoring President Donald Trump with the naming of a square near the new United States’ Israeli embassy.

Mayor Nir Barkat said the location’s name will be “United States Square in honor of President Donald Trump.”

“This is the way in which Jerusalem returns love to the president and residents of the United States who stand by the state of Israel,” the mayor said in a news release, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“President Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people, stand on the side of historical truth and do the right thing,” Barkat added.

The mayor tweeted a picture of the square, which he wrote is next to the embassy.

Trump announced his intention to move the United States’ embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in December.

“That city is Israel’s capital,” Trump said at the time, according to CNBC. “It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”

The president added moving the embassy “is nothing less than a recognition of reality.”

Israel’s center of government is in Jerusalem, including its legislature, the Knesset, and the official residence of the prime minister.

Trump noted in December that “while previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.”

The United States plans to open its new embassy — which will be located where the U.S. consulate currently exists — on Monday, May 14. The date coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the modern state of Israel.

The United States, under the leadership of then-President Harry Truman, was the first nation to officially recognize the independence of Israel in 1948.

The U.S. was also the first nation to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by moving its embassy there. Guatemala announced in March it plans to do the same. All other nations’ embassies in Israel are located in Tel Aviv, Newsweek reported.

Barkat proudly posted photos of a new road sign he hung this week showing the way to the American embassy.

“Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people — and the world is beginning to recognize this face!” Barkat wrote.

According to the biblical account, Jerusalem first became the capital of the Jewish people around 1,000 B.C. under the leadership of King David.

Pastor John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, told Fox News, “(President Trump) will be remembered for thousands of years for his act of courage to treat Israel like we already treat other nations.”

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner will attend in Trump's place

Donald Trump will not be attending the opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem on May 14th, and neither will Vice President Mike Pence. Instead, Trump is sending his daughter, Ivanka Trump and her husband, White House senior advisor Jared Kushner. It’s not clear at this time why Donald Trump is not making the trip to Israel himself, but he fully supported the embassy move to Jerusalem as a campaign promise.

Israel National News supposes that Donald Trump might be busy working on his response to the Iran nuclear deal which has a deadline of May 12th. Or perhaps Trump is needed in reference to the legal matters involving his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Other countries are following the U.S. example and moving their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem after the opening of the U.S. embassy. Guatemala will open its embassy in Jerusalem on May 16th of this year, and Paraguay is scheduled to open its embassy in Jerusalem by the end of the month.

The Washington Examiner said that Jared Kushner is representing the White House as he has had involvement in the region, working on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and he and his wife, Ivanka Trump happen to be Jewish (Ivanka Trump converted to Judaism before marrying Kushner.

Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan will lead the American delegation to Jerusalem and will be joined by the United States Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt according to a press release shared by the White House.

In late April, Donald Trump was still considering making the trip to Jerusalem himself.

“I may go, I’m very proud of it.”

When the decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was announced in December te Trump administration suggested that the move wasn’t imminent and might not take place until Trump was out of office. But Trump made the decision to push the move up and renovate an existing building instead of constructing a new one. Trump explained that the move would save American taxpayers money and fulfill a campaign promise.

“They were going to spend $1 billion, and we are going to spend much less than a half a million — could have done it for much less than that, but I said, ‘Let’s make it really nice.'”

Reuters announced today that workers have been busy in Jerusalem hanging new signs directing visitors to the location of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. The signs are in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.</s>The Middle East is bracing for milestone events packed into one week - beginning Tuesday - that could reverberate in unforeseen ways and change the trajectory of a region shaped by growing conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia, leaders of the Shiite and Sunni Muslim camps.

In this short span, the United States is to decide whether to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal and then move its embassy in Israel to contested Jerusalem, provoking Palestinians at a time when many thousands plan to march from blockaded Gaza to Israel's border - and perhaps overrun it.

U.S. President Donald Trump's is expected to announce Tuesday whether he will keep the U.S. in a 2015 deal that gave Iran relief from sanctions in return for curbing its nuclear program.

A pullout is opposed by other world powers, but supported by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A U.S. withdrawal and the possibility of an eventual collapse of the deal raises concerns about escalation, even war -particularly if Iran is seen as resuming its pursuit of nuclear weapons and Israel retaliates.

Tensions between Israel and Iran already are high over Iran's efforts to expand its military presence in Syria and airstrikes attributed to Israel that killed Iranian fighters there, prompting threats of reprisal by Tehran. Netanyahu says he'll counter "Iran's aggression ... even if this means a struggle."

Israeli security officials say forces are already on high alert in northern Israel.

Netanyahu's critics inside Israel warn that he is pursuing a risky course by trying to torpedo the nuclear deal, without assurances that the U.S. has prepared for the fallout.

Iran could respond by activating regional allies - Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Gaza-based Hamas - but faces limits. Both groups have to keep in mind local constituencies that endured painful Israeli airstrikes in previous cross-border confrontations.

Hezbollah, armed with tens of thousands of rockets trained at Israel, hopes to integrate further into Lebanese politics after scoring gains Sunday in the country's first election in nine years. Hezbollah's calculations could change if it succeeds in setting up military positions in southwestern Syria, allowing it to launch rockets without concern for Lebanese civilians being harmed in counterattacks.

Sunni Muslim Hamas, which has had ambivalent ties with Shiite-led Iran since seizing Gaza in 2007, wants to avoid another war with Israel and is betting on mass border protests to break a decade-old blockade of Gaza by Israel and Egypt.

On May 14, Israel's 70th anniversary, the U.S. ceremoniously opens its new embassy in Jerusalem, in line with Trump's recognition in December of the city as Israel's capital. Israel has excitedly welcomed the move.

For Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, it spells the end to hopes that the U.S. would one day get Israel to cede the West Bank and Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem - lands it captured in 1967 - to a Palestinian state.

Trump's predecessors have said conflicting claims to Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations. His claims that the Jerusalem policy shift doesn't preclude talks on how to share the city is met with scorn by Abbas, who suspended ties with Washington and considers it unfit to keep serving as the sole Mideast broker.

Abbas warned recently that he would take "tough steps" against the U.S. and Israel, but didn't spell them out. Options endorsed last week by the Palestine Liberation Organization include suspending recognition of Israel and walking away from interim peace deals of the 1990s.

Signaling that he's in no rush to respond, Abbas left Sunday for a trip to Venezuela, Chile and Cuba. Even if he's back by May 14, he won't have time to get far-reaching decisions approved, if only as a formality, by senior PLO figures.

Jordan's King Abdullah II seems to have resigned himself to the U.S. shift on Jerusalem, whose Israeli-annexed eastern sector, sought as a Palestinian capital, houses major shrines of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. U.S. officials have told the monarch he would continue to serve as custodian of Islamic and Christian holy sites in the city.

Beyond such assurances, the kingdom, where most residents are of Palestinian origin, relies on U.S. aid and discreet security ties with Israel. Despite Abdullah's tough rhetoric on Jerusalem, he recently ended a months-long diplomatic crisis with Israel, signaling he is ready to move on.

Sunni Arab states might issue new statements critical of the U.S. Embassy move to appease domestic audiences. However, the Saudi-led camp has cheered Trump's aggressive stance toward Iran, and will likely avoid hurting the new alliance.

On the day of the U.S. Embassy move, Hamas plans to bring the largest crowd yet to the Gaza-Israel border, as part of an open-ended blockade-busting protest campaign.

Since the weekly demonstrations began in late March, protesters have mostly thrown stones and burned tires on the Gaza side, stopping short of large-scale border breaches.

Two senior Hamas officials said such breaches will become inevitable when crowds gather on May 14, the day of the embassy move, and likely also on May 15, when Palestinians mark their "nakba," or mass uprooting during the 1948 Mideast war over Israel's creation.

More than two-thirds of Gaza's 2 million people are descendants of refugees. Blockade-linked hardships, from 16-hour-a-day power cuts to sweeping travel bans, have pushed more people to go to the border, despite the risks.

So far, 40 protesters have been killed and more than 1,700 wounded by Israeli troops.

A mass breach is bound to lead to more casualties. Israel has dug in, despite international criticism of its use of lethal force against unarmed protesters. Israel says it needs to maintain the blockade to contain Hamas and that it will defend its border at all costs.

The border marches are expected to continue at lower intensity during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins around May 16, said the two Hamas officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss internal deliberations with reporters.

Hamas is investing as much in the new tactic as it did in its military wing, responsible in the past for suicide attacks and rocket fire on Israel, the officials said. The group believes the protests have become the only remaining tool for breaking the blockade.

Abbas is not expected to try to compete with Hamas during "nakba" rallies. In the West Bank, his security forces have kept demonstrators away from Israeli army positions.

Associated Press writer Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.</s>US President Donald Trump will not be traveling to Jerusalem for the inauguration of the new United States Embassy in that city next May 14, but in his place will send daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner.

The White House said in a statement that the US delegation will be headed by Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, who will also be joined by US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.</s>The mayor of Jerusalem announced on Tuesday that his city will be honoring President Donald Trump with the naming of a square near the new United States’ Israeli embassy.

Mayor Nir Barkat said the location’s name will be “United States Square in honor of President Donald Trump.”

“This is the way in which Jerusalem returns love to the president and residents of the United States who stand by the state of Israel,” the mayor said in a news release, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“President Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people, stand on the side of historical truth and do the right thing,” Barkat added.

The mayor tweeted a picture of the square, which he wrote is next to the embassy.

Trump announced his intention to move the United States’ embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in December.

“That city is Israel’s capital,” Trump said at the time, according to CNBC. “It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”

The president added moving the embassy “is nothing less than a recognition of reality.”

Israel’s center of government is in Jerusalem, including its legislature, the Knesset, and the official residence of the prime minister.

Trump noted in December that “while previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.”

The United States plans to open its new embassy — which will be located where the U.S. consulate currently exists — on Monday, May 14. The date coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the modern state of Israel.

The United States, under the leadership of then-President Harry Truman, was the first nation to officially recognize the independence of Israel in 1948.

The U.S. was also the first nation to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by moving its embassy there. Guatemala announced in March it plans to do the same. All other nations’ embassies in Israel are located in Tel Aviv, Newsweek reported.

Barkat proudly posted photos of a new road sign he hung this week showing the way to the American embassy.

“Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people — and the world is beginning to recognize this face!” Barkat wrote.

According to the biblical account, Jerusalem first became the capital of the Jewish people around 1,000 B.C. under the leadership of King David.

Pastor John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, told Fox News, “(President Trump) will be remembered for thousands of years for his act of courage to treat Israel like we already treat other nations.”

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.
Paraguay announces that it will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by the end of May. Paraguay is the third country to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem after the United States and Guatemala.