Israeli Official Says Reopening of US Palestinian Mission in Jerusalem May Not Happen
Error: Contact form not found.
by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff
An American flag flutters at the premises of the former United States Consulate General in Jerusalem, March 4, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Ammar Awad.
Israel’s deputy foreign minister said on Sunday that the Biden administration may shelve its plan to reopen a US diplomatic mission for Palestinians in Jerusalem after Israel voiced opposition to such a move.
The Jerusalem consulate was subsumed into the US Embassy that was moved to the city from Tel Aviv in 2018 by the administration of former President Donald Trump.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken this month reiterated Washington’s plan to reopen the consulate as part of efforts to repair ties with the Palestinians. He did not give timelines.
“I believe that I have good reason to think this will not happen,” Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll told Israel’s Ynet.
“The Americans understand the political complexity,” Roll said. “We have very good relations. … We don’t believe in surprising them. I don’t think they will try to surprise us.”
US Embassy spokespeople could not be immediately reached for comment.
Israel deems all Jerusalem its undivided capital and says it will not consent to reopening the consulate. The Palestinians want the city’s east for their own future state.
Reopening the consulate could weaken Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and undermine his fragile cross-partisan government, Israeli officials have argued.
