US embassy opens in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM, May 14 (AFP): Washington's contentious new embassy in Jerusalem is high-profile, but it's no gleaming new building changing the ancient city's skyline.
Instead, Ambassador David Friedman will set up shop in existing consular offices in the leafy middle-class Arnona neighbourhood on the city's southern edge for the near to mid-term.
Eventually, a purpose-designed embassy will be planned and built, according to the US State Department.
"Initially, the interim embassy in Arnona will contain office space for the ambassador and a small staff," a US official told AFP, declining to give further details.
"The ambassador will continue to divide his time between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem during the initial phases of the embassy move, as this is a multi-year process."
So far around $400,000 has been spent on upgrades to the building, a US embassy spokeswoman said.
US President Donald Trump will not attend the inaugural event, but Washington will be represented by Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband, senior White House aide Jared Kushner.