Letter from Sen. Gorton concerning U.S. embassy location in Israel

March 20, 1984

M. Said, M.D., Ph.D.
Post Office Box 1176
Ephrata, Washington 98823

Dear Dr. Said:

Thank you for sharing with me your views on the location of
the U.S. embassy in Israel.

As you know, the United States has chosen to keep its
embassy in Tel Aviv ever since Israel was founded, on the grounds
that the final status of Jerusalem must be resolved among the
parties concerned as part of a comprehensive Mideast peace
settlement. Jerusalem elicits powerful feelings among adherents
of three major faiths: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The
discussion of whether the United States should move its embassy
to Jerusalem is deeply intertwined with these emotional and
religious attachments.

In general, I believe that every country has the right to
designate its own administrative capital. The location of the
U.S. embassy in Israel is a politically—charged question,
however. Moving our embassy to Jerusalem would be viewed as an
unfriendly act by all Arab nations and indeed by the entire
Muslim world.

Senator Moynihan has introduced S. 2031, a bill to require
that the U.S. embassy and ambassador’s residence be moved to
Jerusalem. Hearings have been held in the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee on this legislation. The Administration
opposes it as an ill-timed and possibly unconstitutional change
in a long-standing U.S. policy, which would give the erroneous
impression that the U.S. had altered its position on the future
of Jerusalem.

Since I am not a member of the Foreign Relations Committee,
I will not have an opportunity to vote on this legislation unless it comes before the full Senate.  If it does, I will give it my closest attention, keeping your views in mind.

Sincerely,

Slade Gorton

United States Senator