Major renovations underway at US embassy in Tel Aviv
Repairs unrelated to the issue of embassy's possible transfer to Jerusalem and were scheduled during the Obama administration as part of a State Department project for renovating embassies. The last major renovation at the US embassy in Israel occurred 15 years ago.
The repairs are not related to the issue of the transfer of the embassy and the repairs were scheduled during the Obama administration as part of a State Department project for renovating embassies. The last major renovation at the US embassy in Israel occurred 15 years ago.
The renovations are being conducted by an American contractor employing American workers who are licensed to work in classified US facilities.
The contractor, which arrived in Israel half a year ago to set up the necessary equipment around the structure ahead of the work, will also be assisted by Israeli workers.
The renovation work is being conducted on a piecemeal basis to mitigate disruptions in the day to day workings of the embassy. Rooms therefore are refurbished only when they are not in use.
Nevertheless, the embassy published an announcement on its website, saying that while the project should not cause any delays or affect its daily operations, it apologized in advance for any inconvenience that could be caused as a result.
The work got underway, perchance, at the same time as former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro departed from the embassy who, after resigning from his post, remained in Israel as a private citizen in a rented apartment in Ra’anana where he intends to stay until his daughter complete her studies in the country.
On January 17, cosmetic work began on the embassy structure, which was supposed to continued for a number of months.
The renovation work is scheduled to continue for at least a year and is estimated to cost millions of dollars.
As part of the project, external walls are set to be replaced, including those located at the front entrance which is well known to Israelis for its longs lines for the visa department.
President Trump’s new pick for US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, is supposed to arrive in Israel at some stage next month.
Friedman’s nomination has yet to have been approved by the Foreign Office of the Senate. However,while he informed his close associates that a decision would be made on the matter of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem at the appropriate time, he is interested in working from the capital.
Friedman owns a large apartment on Pinsker Street in Jerusalem, but there is also a chance that he will reside in the official American Consulate apartment on Irgun Street in the city.
Trump’s campaign pledge to move the embassy to Jerusalem continues to make headlines, particularly in Israel. However, according to CNN his new administration is considering a compromised dilution of the original promise, whereby the embassy will remain in its current location, but the ambassador will reside and work in Jerusalem.
