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New U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem: A Stone Plaque and $400,000 in Renovations, for Now
(Washington Post) Loveday Morris and Ruth Eglash - For all the fanfare surrounding the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem this coming Monday, the move, including building modifications and additional security, cost under $400,000, a U.S. official said. But the move is deeply symbolic, upending the decades-old U.S. policy of withholding recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital until the final status of the city is worked out in a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. The building, which currently provides U.S. consular services such as passport renewals for U.S. citizens and visa applications, was opened in 2010. The embassy in Tel Aviv has 850 staff members, and it won't be until a new embassy is finished in seven to 10 years that a significant number of employees would move to the new location.