Ramallah slams Israel over opposition to reopening US consulate in Jerusalem

The Palestinian Authority slams Israel for rejecting the promised reopening of the US consulate in Jerusalem, a move that would restore Washington’s main diplomatic mission for the Palestinians in the city.

US President Joe Biden has pledged to reopen the consulate, but the issue has been a sticking point between Israel and the US, as well as among some members of Congress. The consulate was shuttered by then-US president Donald Trump in 2019 and its staff was folded into the US embassy — which had been moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem a year earlier — in what the Palestinians view as a downgrading of their ties with the US.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said last night that there was no room in Jerusalem for another American mission.

In a statement, the Palestinian Authority Foreign Ministry says it views the reopening of the consulate as part of the international community’s commitments to ending Israel’s control over the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“East Jerusalem is an inseparable part of the occupied Palestinian territory and is the capital of the state of Palestine. Israel, as the occupying power, does not have the right to veto the US administration’s decision,” the statement says.