"We are excited about taking this historic step, and look forward with anticipation to the May opening," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Friday.
The move, which the U.S. State Department called an "historic step," follows President Donald Trump's Dec. 6 decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
US President Donald Trump on December 6 defied global warnings and said Washington formally recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of Israel and would begin the process of moving its embassy to the occupied city, breaking with decades of American policy.
His decision infuriated the Palestinians, who declared that Washington could no longer play a role as lead mediator in the Middle East peace process. It also sparked outrage across the Muslim world and even Washington's Arab allies.
The United Nations General Assembly on December 21 overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution that calls on the US to withdraw its controversial recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as the Israeli capital.
