Tillerson Skips Yerushalayim in Review of Year’s Highlights

President Donald Trump’s declaration that Yerushalayim is Israel’s capital was conspicuously missing from an article written by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson surveying the administration’s achievements in 2017.

The Times of Israel noted that whereas the White House had led with Yerushalayim in a tweeted listing of the year’s highlights, the president’s most senior foreign policy officer didn’t think it deserving of even an honorable mention.

Tillerson had reportedly opposed the move in discussions with Mr. Trump beforehand, on the grounds that it would harm the peace process. The president’s advisors were divided, with Chief of Staff John Kelly and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in favor, while Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis were said to be against it.

Tillerson’s article, which appeared on the op-ed page of The New York Times, defended administration foreign policy, saying progress had been made in reining in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and in countering the “immense challenges” posed by Russia and Iran.