Neither President Donald Trump nor Vice President Mike Pence will be in attendance when the US opens its embassy in Jerusalem next week.
The White House says Trump is instead sending a high-level delegation to the ceremony marking the formal recognition by the US of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Trump ordered the move last year, fulfilling a key campaign promise but drawing condemnation from many US allies, who say the move makes it more difficult to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
The White House says Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan is leading the delegation, joined by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the president's daughter and son-in-law, White House aides Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
Trump had left the door open to personally attending the embassy opening.
