JERUSALEM, July 2. /Dunyo IA/. Israel and the United States have signed an agreement allocating a land plot in Jerusalem for the construction of a permanent U.S. embassy complex, reports Dunyo IA correspondent, citing “The Times of Israel.”

The signing ceremony was attended by Foreign Minister of Israel Gideon Sa’ar, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion.

According to the U.S. ambassador, the new site will host a future permanent embassy complex that will “deepen and expand Washington’s presence in Jerusalem.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the agreement “another milestone in the unbreakable alliance” between Israel and the United States, adding that Israel is “Washington’s most important strategic asset in the Middle East.”

According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the United States will receive the land on a long-term lease of 99 years for a symbolic fee of $1. The construction plan for the permanent embassy building was approved in 2019 and later endorsed by the Jerusalem municipality in 2021. The site is located in the so-called Allenby complex in the southern part of the city.

Currently, the U.S. embassy in Israel operates in the former U.S. consulate building in Jerusalem. It was converted into an embassy after U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017 and moved the diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv in 2018. The decision sparked widespread international criticism and remains a subject of diplomatic dispute.

Human rights organization “Adalah” stated that the land designated for the new embassy previously belonged to Palestinian families and was confiscated under Israel’s Absentee Property Law.

The United Nations considers East Jerusalem part of the territory of Palestine, occupied in 1967, noting that any measures aimed at changing the city’s character or legal status have no legal validity under international law.

As a result, most countries worldwide, including Uzbekistan, still maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv.