USA · 02 July, 2026 · 2 min read
US and Israel Sign 99-Year $1 Lease for Permanent US Embassy Compound in Jerusalem
A 99-year land lease with a symbolic $1 secures a West Jerusalem embassy site. The land is designated for a permanent U.S. embassy complex in West Jerusalem.
How the deal’s legitimacy and Palestinian impact are framed.
10 of 12 outlets skipped it: source links US embassy move to broader Gaza violence context..
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Same story, two versions
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Anadolu Ajansı
“confiscated from Palestinians under Israel’s 1950 Absentees’ Property Law”Read the original ↗
One emphasizes strategic history; the other highlights legal confiscation allegations.
$1 Embassy Lease Signed
The United States and Israel signed a 99-year lease agreement allocating land for a permanent US embassy compound in Jerusalem, with the lease priced at $1. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee said, "The lease agreement for the land is for 99 years and the United States will pay Israel the sum of $1," during the signing ceremony that included Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion.
The agreement was formalized at the Foreign Ministry, where Huckabee described the deal as "deepening and expanding our presence in Jerusalem" as the US receives the property for the future embassy complex. The deal follows the US move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018 after then-President Donald Trump recognized the city as Israel’s capital in December 2017, and the embassy’s temporary site opened in May 2018.
Backlash Over Land Seizure
Rights groups and Israeli legal critics say the land allocated for the embassy was confiscated from Palestinian families under Israel’s 1950 Absentees’ Property Law. Adalah said archival documents show the land belonged to Palestinian families before 1948 and that the transfer violates Article 46 of the Hague Regulations, which prohibits the confiscation of private property.
The United Nations considers East Jerusalem occupied Palestinian territory and says measures aimed at changing the character or legal status of the city have no legal effect under international law. In parallel, the Oz Arab Media account frames the $1 lease as a setback for the aspirations of a future Palestinian capital, describing the symbolic and political implications as raising concerns among Palestinian leaders and supporters.
US Security Posture
Separate reporting on US posture in the region says the US embassy in Israel urged its nationals to consider leaving the country as long as commercial flights remain available. Ouest-France reported that the embassy said the movements of American staff and their families could be limited "In response to security incidents and without notice," and that the US urged nonessential staff at its Jerusalem embassy to leave Israel.
The same account tied the warning to American threats of strikes in Iran and cited a third round of talks in Geneva under Omani mediation between Iran and the United States. It also quoted the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk saying he was "extremely concerned about the risk of regional military escalation," while Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi urged the United States to avoid 'excessive demands' in the discussions.