U.S. President George W. Bush postponed any movement of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem for at least six months. Making use of an escape clause in the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, Bush cited grounds of national security for making his decision, the second time he has delayed the embassy move during his tenure as president.

"I hereby determine that it is necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States to suspend for a period of 6 months'' implementation of the Jerusalem Embassy Act, Bush wrote in a memorandum to Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Former President Bill Clinton had repeatedly used the same escape clause in the Embassy Act, adopted on October 23, 1995, by both houses of the U.S. Congress, to postpone the move. The American government continues to fear that moving the embassy would infuriate Palestinians and other Arabs, who would see it as recognition of Israel's annexation of the eastern half of Jerusalem.

The Act determined that the United States' official policy towards Jerusalem was that it should remain a united city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected and that it should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel. The Act declared that the U.S. Embassy should be established in Jerusalem no later than May 31, 1999.

But the Act also gave the President a "waiver authority" under which he could "suspend the [limitation of State Department fund appropriation conditional on moving the embassy to Jerusalem] for a period of six months if he determines and reports to Congress in advance that such suspension is necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States."

Despite the embassy move's postponement, Bush stated that his "Administration remains committed to beginning the process of moving our embassy to Jerusalem.'' During the 2000 presidential campaign, Bush had promised to move the embassy if he was elected.

In June, Bush also utilized the waiver authority and postponed the embassy move. Shortly after Bush took office, Powell explained that the U.S. had started a "process" that could take a long time. "Sometimes [the word process] means stall, sometimes it means move right ahead. In this case, it means that we're examining the process, and in due course we will make a judgment," Powell said of the embassy move back in February.

At the time of the previous postponement, Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said his organization "supports and understands President Bush's decision" but expressed the belief that "President Bush will move the embassy during his tenure as president."

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