One of President Donald Trump's biggest donors, billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, has offered to help pay for the construction of the controversial Jerusalem embassy.
The embassy, which is scheduled to open in May, has been a flash point of controversy ever since Trump announced that he was moving America's diplomatic facilities out of Tel Aviv. Adelson, an extremely generous donor to right-wing political parties in both America and Israel, made his offer to Trump when the president first announced his decision in December, according to the Associated Press. State Department lawyers have since begun exploring whether it would be legal for the United States government to accept private donations to partially or entirely fund the construction of the new embassy.
One potential plan would be for the Trump administration to request donations from pro-Israel individuals, particularly those in the Jewish and evangelical communities, and then ask Adelson to pick up the difference between the money raised and the final cost. As the Trump administration announced on Friday, the embassy will be initially opened in the Arnona neighborhood by gradually converting existing consular offices there which handle matters like visas and passports. While retrofitting the existing offices is not likely to be expensive, the ultimate process of expanding them into a full embassy would cost at least $500 million — a steep tab that even the billionaire Adelson may not be willing to pay in full.
Another controversial aspect of Adelson's involvement is his close involvement in right-wing politics. In addition to donating $25 million to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and $5 million to his inaugural committee, Adelson has also been a major contributor to Republican politicians throughout the United States. In addition, he has also donated generously to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and owns two of Israel's most influential right-wing newspapers, one of which he gives away for free to promote his ideas.
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