Reopening Consulate in Jerusalem Requires Effective Approval from “Israel”: US Official
Jerusalem, MINA – The US Deputy Secretary of State Brian McCuhen said today, Thursday, that the United States needs “effective approval” from “Israel” to reopen the US Consulate dealing with Palestinian affairs in Jerusalem.
“According to my understanding, we need the approval of the host government to open every diplomatic facility,” the US official added, MINA’s Contributor in Gaza reported.
The political correspondent of the official broadcaster “Cannes 11” quoted sources in the US administration that US pressure regarding reopening the consulate will increase after passing the budget.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, and his Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, oppose the US move.
The US Consulate in Jerusalem, which was established in the nineteenth century, managed US relations with the Palestinian Authority for 25 years, before former US President Donald Trump decided to close it and annex it to the US embassy, which he transferred from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in 2019.
The US administration and the Israeli government intend to form a joint team in an attempt to resolve the dispute over the reopening of the embassy, according to the Walla website, which added that the team will conduct secret negotiations to resolve this problem.
Last August, Biden told Bennett that he would “not give up” on reopening the US Consulate in Jerusalem to serve the Palestinians, and US officials confirmed that Biden raised the issue of the consulate more than once during the meeting with Bennett, whether during their private conversation or during the meeting with staff.
The Biden administration had responded to Israeli demands to postpone the reopening of the consulate in Jerusalem, until the passage of the Israeli government’s budget next November, after Washington received two requests from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (L-K-G/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
