American diplomat stationed at US Embassy in Jerusalem dies
- The embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the death and added that there was no foul play
- The embassy’s direct hire was found dead in their apartment
An employee of the US embassy in Jerusalem has died, the embassy confirmed on Monday.
A US spokesman confirmed that the dead employee, a US citizen, was not the US ambassador to Israel.
An embassy spokesperson confirmed the death in a brief statement: “We can confirm the death of an American employee of the American Embassy in Jerusalem. We have no further details to share.”
They added that “no foul play is suspected” and that the incident is under investigation, but have not released any further information at this time.
Journalist Dimi Reider from The Lead reports that the diplomat was found dead in their apartment.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday afternoon that more information will be available once the deceased employee’s next of kin have been notified.
An employee of the US embassy in Jerusalem has died, the embassy confirmed on Monday
In 2018, the Trump administration moved the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, where it had been located for about five decades.
In 2017, Trump broke with years of American policy by officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The move delighted Trump supporters and Israelis, but enraged Palestinians and parts of the Arab world.
The embassy move was a signature tenet of Trump’s 2016 campaign agenda. The proposal was especially popular among evangelical Christians, many of whom supported Trump’s campaign and his choice of Mike Pence as vice president.
Since the mid-1990s, US presidents, both Republicans and Democrats, have failed to move the embassy to Jerusalem, despite the Jerusalem Embassy Act, which was passed by Congress and became law in 1995.