WASHINGTON (JTA) — The State Department said its policy on Jerusalem has not changed and it remains a "final status" issue.
On Monday, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly had said that the administration’s demand for a stoppage of settlement construction included Jewish neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem.
But on Tuesday at the daily briefing, Kelly stated that "a far as Jerusalem is concerned, our policy in Jerusalem has not changed."
"Jerusalem is a final-status issue," he said. "Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to resolve this status during negotiations."
Kelly did not specifically mention Tuesday the status of settlements in Jerusalem, but the statement — which came as part of an answer to a broader question about settlements which did not specifically mention Jerusalem — appeared to indicate that he was backing away from his comments Monday.
In addition, Jewish Council for Public Affairs director Hadar Susskind told JTA that he had confirmed with an unnamed senior White House official that the administration considered Jerusalem a final-status issue.
Israel does not consider eastern Jerusalem part of the West Bank, although the international community does refer to housing in that area as settlements.
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