Trump says Jerusalem embassy move was 'for the Evangelicals'

The US president said the move made Evangelicals 'more excited' than Jewish people.

2 min read

18 August, 2020

Evangelical Christians are considered a key supporter group of the US president [Getty]

US President Donald Trump got cheers from the crowd in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on Monday, when he mentioned his controversial decision to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Trump added that the decision was popular with his Evangelical Christian supporters.

"And we moved the capital of Israel to Jerusalem. That's for the Evangelicals," Trump boasted at the rally.

"You know, it's amazing with that. The Evangelicals are more excited with that than Jewish people. It's incredible. But we did, we did. And Golan Heights. Golan heights. Don't forget about Golan Heights. So we've done a lot."

Trump was speaking during a political rally where he was seeking to undermine the Democratic convention, which was taking place on the same night.

President Trump sparked a deterioration in relations between Washington and the Palestinian authorities last year when the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem.

The move sparked anger across the world and led to weeks of global protests in solidarity with Palestine.

Moving an embassy to Jerusalem is highly contentious. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, while Palestinians view east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

Traditionally, most diplomatic missions in Israel have been in Tel Aviv as countries maintained a neutral stance over the status of Jerusalem.

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