FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 9, 2001 Senator Says US Embassy Move From Tel Aviv to Jerusalem Should Be Made Independent of the Status of the Peace Process. Schumer Urges United Nations to Release Uncensored Tapes of Hezbollah's Abduction of Israeli Soldiers.

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on US and Israeli officials to begin negotiating a timetable for the move of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Schumer said the move should be made independent of the status of the peace process and said that the issue has been, and will continue to be, a centerpiece of his discussions with American and Israeli officials - including Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert and outgoing US Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk - during his stay in Israel. Schumer also said he would discuss the issue with US Secretary of State Colin Powell and with incoming US Ambassador to Israel Daniel C. Kurtzer.

"The capital of Israel is Jerusalem, and the best way the United States can acknowledge that is by sitting down with Israeli officials and establishing a timetable for moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," Schumer said. "Jerusalem is the capital of Israel regardless and independent of the status of the peace process and the decision of when to move embassy to Jerusalem should be too."

Schumer also called on the US State Department to complete the necessary logistical studies that must be completed in preparation for any embassy move. In 1995, Congress overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Jerusalem Embassy Act, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and requiring the United States to relocate its embassy there from Tel Aviv by May 31, 1999. The legislation authorized the appropriation of $100 million to begin construction and allows the President to issue six-month waivers delaying the start of construction for reasons of national security. Several waivers have since been exercised by the United States.

Israel is the only country in which the US embassy is not located in the capital city. All major Israeli government offices, except the Ministry of Defense, are located in Jerusalem, requiring American diplomatic personnel to travel frequently to the city in order to conduct official business. Currently only Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Bolivia locate their Israeli embassies in Jerusalem.

Schumer also announced that he will introduce legislation in the Senate urging the United Nations to turn over uncensored tapes of the abduction of Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah. The abduction took place on October 7, 2000, when Hezbollah guerillas crossed into Israel from Lebanon and kidnapped Adi Avidtan, Binyamin Avraham, and Omar Souad. Eight days later, Hezbollah announced that it had kidnapped a fourth soldier, Elchanan Tannebaum. All four are currently being held in Lebanon.

Schumer arrived in Israel on Sunday, July 8. His schedule included a meeting with Ambassador Indyk, followed by military and intelligence briefings, and visits to the Rabin Memorial and the Dolfinarium Discoteque, the site of last month's disco terrorist attack. Schumer also met with hospitalized victims of the disco bombing and families of Israeli soldiers being held by Hezbollah in Lebanon. Schumer then traveled to Jerusalem.

On Monday, July 9, Schumer's schedule included meetings with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, as well as a helicopter tour of the northern border with Lebanon and Syria, a tour of Jerusalem with Mayor Olmert, and the visit to the potential site of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

Schumer was joined by Malcolm Honlein, Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, Jim Tisch, President of the United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater New York (UJA) and Michael Miller, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC).[ IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis www.imra.org.il ]