Mike Pence: US embassy to open in Jerusalem in 2019

The American embassy will be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by the end of next year, US Vice President Mike Pence told Israeli parliamentarians to enthusiastic applause. 

Greeted by a standing ovation on Monday inside the Knesset, Pence's speech was in its introductory phase when a scuffle broke out as Palestinian lawmakers from the Joint Arab List alliance raised posters of the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in protest before they were forcibly removed by security.

"America stands with Israel," Pence said, undeterred by the disruption. "We stand with Israel because your cause is our cause. Your values are our values, and your fight is our fight.

"We stand with Israel because we believe in right over wrong, and good over evil, and in liberty over tyranny," Pence said to loud applause. 

In an unprecedented move, the US embassy invited leaders of settler movements in the occupied West Bank to attend Pence's speech in the Knesset - the first ever by a US vice president.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman is a staunch supporter of illegal Israeli settlements and in the past headed an organisation that donated millions of dollars to one in the West Bank.