Trump says he may attend Jerusalem embassy opening

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he might attend the opening ceremony of the new US embassy in Jerusalem on May 14.

Standing next to German Chanellor Angela Merkel at a press conference, Trump responded to a question about the opening ceremony. "I may go," he said. "Very proud of it."

Trump had previously mulled attending the inauguration but reportedly decided against it.

The US president's December announcement that Washington would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the embassy there broke with decades of policy.  

Also on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he would "love" to have President Trump attend. The remarks came as part of an extended interview on Fox & Friends.

"Would love to have him here. It's his decision. He's got an open invitation," Netanyahu said on Fox News.

Embassy quarters in Jerusalem could soon be renamed to "Trump Town", according to media reports, in part to thank the US president for his controversial decision.

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But many countries are not expected to follow the US' lead in moving their embassies. On Tuesday, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his country would not relocate its embassy to Jerusalem. 

Wafa said the Japanese leader reasserted his country's support for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the framework of the two-state solution.

At the moment, Palestinians are currently refusing to meet Trump's negotiating team over the embassy row and Abbas has called for other countries to step in to facilitate a new process.

Recently appointed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not meet with any Palestinian officials during his whistlestop tour of the Middle East this week.

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