I’m not the least bit surprised that President Trump signed the waiver to delay moving our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, as each of our presidents has done since 1995. I’m disappointed, because he made such a point of this during the campaign, assuring us that he would be the man to make this momentous move. But I’m not surprised.

We’ve had indications that he was waffling on this for several weeks now. Plus, a move like this is easier said than done.

Still, there’s reason for hope in the midst of the disappointment.

Trump is Committed to Israel’s Well-Being

First, as a White House official emphasized, “It’s a question of when, not if.”

Yes, “President Trump made this decision to maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, fulfilling his solemn obligation to defend America’s national security interests. But, as he has repeatedly stated his intention to move the embassy, the question is not if that move happens, but only when.”

This is positive. I don’t recall past presidents making this point so emphatically. We will move the embassy, just not yet.

Second, sources indicate that Trump actually yelled at Palestinian President Abbas when they met during the president’s Middle East trip. This led to several minutes of stunned silence on the Palestinian side. “You tricked me in D.C.!”, Trump is reported to have said. “You talked there about your commitment to peace, but the Israelis showed me your involvement in incitement [against Israel].”

This too would indicate that President Trump is striking a very different tone than his predecessors.

Third, there was no indication that the president put heavy pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu when they met, telling him he would have to make major sacrifices, or else. Certainly, there was talk of making concessions for peace. But again, we have no indication that Trump tried to force Netanyahu’s hand on any major issues.

That could explain why Israel’s official response to the announcement that relocating the embassy had been postponed was muted: “Though Israel is disappointed that the embassy will not move at this time, we appreciate today’s expression of President Trump’s friendship to Israel and his commitment to moving the embassy in the future.”

Of course, Israel reiterated that “the American embassy, like the embassies of all countries with whom we have diplomatic relations, should be in Jerusalem, our eternal capital.” But the statement itself expresses only mild disappointment, given Trump’s clear commitment to Israel’s well-being.

Will There Ever be a Good Time to Move the Embassy?

As I suggested previously, nothing is stopping us from moving the embassy to West Jerusalem.

The real problem, however, is this. A White House official explained that, “In timing such a move, [the president] will seek to maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians.”

Unfortunately, moving the embassy to Jerusalem will always be a point of contention with the Palestinians and the larger Muslim world. As noted in Israel’s statement, “Maintaining embassies outside the capital drives peace further away by helping keep alive the Palestinian fantasy that the Jewish people and the Jewish state have no connection to Jerusalem.”

Why keep this fantasy alive? The Palestinians are totally dependent on America to help broker peace negotiations. And at some point, they will have to accept that our embassy will be in Jerusalem. Why not make the move now, while also affirming to the Palestinians our commitment to work for their best interests as well?

As I (along with others) suggested previously, nothing is stopping us from moving the embassy to West Jerusalem. Even Russia recognizes this as Israel’s capital (while claiming that East Jerusalem should be the capital of a Palestinian state). We can make this move without making a final determination about a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem. (Obviously, I don’t believe there is any historic Palestinian claim to East Jerusalem. But again, that can be a subject for later talks.)

The Camp David Accords are almost 40 years old (signed in September, 1978). The Oslo Accords are nearly 25 years old (signed September, 1993). Does President Trump really think that by not moving our embassy to Jerusalem now, we will be able to move the peace process forward? And can he really imagine that there will be some magic, opportune time to make the move in the future?

I’m thankful that President Trump is showing himself to be a true friend of Israel. He is holding the Palestinians’ feet to the fire over terrorism and he has reaffirmed his commitment to stand with the Jewish State. I would just urge him once again to do what no other president has done.

Mr. Trump, be the man who made the move.

As I wrote last month, I’ll write again: History will smile on you for it.