US Vice President postpones Israel visit

Washington, Dec 14 :  US Vice President Mike Pence has delayed his upcoming visit to Israel by several days due to the Congressional vote on tax reforms, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon, the delay in Pence's visit, earlier scheduled for Sunday, was due to internal affairs and the tax reform vote in the US Congress.

Pence's office has not confirmed the delay.

The announcement came amid an ongoing outcry over President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital as well as move the US embassy to the holy city.

His vote could be crucial to Republican hopes of passing the major tax reform bill before the end of the year. With Republicans holding a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate -- and some key Republican senators still uncommitted -- Pence holds the tie-breaking vote in the event of an even split, CNN reported. 

Delaying the Jerusalem visit allows Pence to cast that vote if tax reform moves forward next week. Trump's announcement last week delighted Israeli leaders but was heavily criticized by many key US allies and Palestinian leaders who see East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Pence is now scheduled to arrive in Israel on Wednesday. But Palestinian leaders said they would refuse to meet him.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki told reporters last week that the leadership had decided there would be "no formal communications" with US officials in the wake of Trump's Jerusalem decision.

An emergency summit of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation was held in Istanbul on Wednesday, where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said: "We shall not accept any role for the US in the peace process."

He also announced the termination of the 1993 Oslo Accords and any other agreements signed since then with Israel. The OIC called on the international community to recognize East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital.

The custodian of the key to one of the holiest sites in Christianity, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also said he would not welcome Pence to Jerusalem's Old City.

Deadly protests broke out in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem following Trump's move. There has also been an increase in the number of rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel.