The United States will relocate its Israel embassy to Jerusalem on May 14, announced the State Department on Friday. Palestinians object to the US recognition of the disputed city as Israels capital and call May 14 -- which in 2018 marks 70 years since Israels declaration of independence -- Naqba, their "day of catastrophe." “We are excited about taking this historic step, and look forward with anticipation to the May opening,” US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, noting that it will coincide with Israel’s 70th anniversary. The embassy in Jerusalem will be gradually expanded in existing consular facilities in the Arnona neighborhood, while the search for a permanent site has already begun for what Nauert called a “longer-term undertaking.” The interim embassy will have office space for the ambassador and a small staff and, by the end of 2019, a new embassy annex on the Arnona compound will be opened, Nauert said in a statement. The consulate in East Jerusalem will continue to serve Palestinians, and for security reasons US Ambassador David Friedman will continue living in the residence in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, and commute to the relocated embassy, another official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. A May opening is earlier than expected - US Vice President Mike Pence told the Israeli parliament last month that the move would take place by the end of 2019. The Palestinians were furious with the US announcement. “This is an unacceptable step. Any unilateral move will not give legitimacy to anyone and will be an obstacle to any effort to create peace in the region,” said Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, who is in the United States until Saturday. US President Donald Trump’s decision in December to move his country’s embassy to Jerusalem sparked anger throughout the Arab and Muslim world. The choice of the date, a year earlier than originally forecast, is likely to further cloud efforts to restart peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, putting in greater doubt the traditional US role as an "honest broker." The Palestine Liberation Organization decried Washingtons decision as a "provocation to all Arabs." "The American administrations decisions to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and choose the Palestinian peoples Naqba as the date for this step is a blatant violation of international law," PLO number two Saeb Erekat told AFP. He said the result would be "the destruction of the two-state option, as well as a blatant provocation to all Arabs and Muslims." Abbas delivered a rare address to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, calling for an international conference to be held later this year to launch a new, wider Middle East peace process and pave the way to Palestinian statehood.