Monitor News Bureau
Washington :US President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, has arrived in Jerusalem al-Quds to open the new US embassy in Israel, a controversial move that is guaranteed to stir violence in the occupied Palestinian lands.
Ivanka Trump landed in Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International airport on Sunday, where she was welcomed by US ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
Speaking to reporters, the US president’s daughter said she had “great joy” in going back to Jerusalem al-Quds, which Trump recognized as Israel’s new capital last September amid international uproar.
“We look forward to celebrating Israel’s 70th anniversary and the bright future ahead,” Ivanka wrote online, as she prepared to attend the opening ceremony on Monday, exactly seven decades after the Tel Aviv regime forced out Palestinians from their land and declared existence.
“We will pray for the boundless potential of the future of the US-Israel alliance, and we will pray for peace,” Trump’s daughter said.
Ivanka was slated to attend a gala dinner later on with her husband, Jared Kushner, who has been tasked by Trump to negotiate an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Most world countries have reportedly declined to attend an event next week marking the opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem al-Quds.
Only 32 of the 86 foreign ambassadors in Israel have accepted an invitation to attend the dinner. Interestingly, only four of those are European countries, namely Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria and Romania.
The Trump administration has invited no foreign envoys to the main ceremony, which will be held on 4 p.m. local time.
Trump’s decision to move the US diplomatic mission to the ancient city has been met with outrage among Palestinians, who deem Jerusalem al-Quds as the future capital of a Palestinian state.
