Israel: No room for US mission for Palestinians in Jerusalem

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett rejected the promised reopening of the main U.S. diplomatic ngo for the Palestinians successful Jerusalem, saying determination was nary country successful the contested metropolis for specified an office.

The Trump medication shuttered the U.S. Jerusalem consulate, an bureau that for years served arsenic the de facto embassy to the Palestinians. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has pledged to reopen it, a determination that Israel says would situation its sovereignty implicit the city. The reopening could assistance mend U.S. ties with the Palestinians ruptured nether Trump.

Asked astir the consulate astatine a property conference, Bennett precocious Saturday repeated Israel’s presumption connected Jerusalem.

“There’s nary country for different American consulate successful Jerusalem,” helium said. “Jerusalem is the superior of 1 authorities and that’s the authorities of Israel.” Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid suggested the consulate could alternatively beryllium opened successful the Palestinian administrative halfway successful Ramallah, West Bank. The Palestinians would cull the thought due to the fact that it would undermine their claims to Jerusalem.

Israel views Jerusalem arsenic its eternal, undivided capital. The Palestinians question the eastbound portion of the city, which Israel occupied successful 1967 and aboriginal annexed, arsenic superior of their hoped-for state.

The consulate is emerging arsenic different trial betwixt Bennett’s authorities and the Biden administration, which has moved to reconstruct accepted U.S. overseas argumentation toward Israel and the Palestinians aft the Trump White House mostly sided with Israel connected issues related to the conflict.

Trump had downgraded the consulate’s operations and placed them nether his ambassador to Israel erstwhile helium moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to the beatified metropolis successful 2018. The embassy determination infuriated the Palestinians and led them to sever astir ties with the Trump administration.

Blinken has not provided a steadfast day for the reopening and U.S. officials person implied that Israeli absorption to the determination could enactment arsenic a hindrance.

Palestinian authoritative Wassel abu Yussef said Bennett’s rejection entrenched Israel’s “policy of occupation” and that it presented a situation to the Biden medication to travel done connected its promise.