U.S. Envoy Says Committed to Reopening Consulate for Palestinians

By Hamodia Staff

YERUSHALAYIM — The Biden administration has not abandoned its plans to reopen a consulate in Yerushalayim for Palestinian affairs, the new U.S. envoy to the Palestinians said on Wednesday.

The Bennett-Lapid government adamantly opposed the plan when it was raised early this year, but it was never permanently shelved, even though privately American officials had assured Israel that it would not be pursued, according to The Times of Israel.

“I want to be clear that the U.S. remains committed to reopening our Consulate General in Jerusalem. We continue to believe that reopening the consulate would put us in the best position to engage with and provide support to the Palestinian people,” Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr said in a call with reporters.

“We’re going to continue to discuss the timeline for reopening our consulate with our Israeli and Palestinian partners,” Amr continued. “At the same time, we right now have a dedicated team of colleagues on the ground working in Jerusalem at our Office of Palestinian Affairs focused every single day on engagement with an outreach to the Palestinians.”

An official familiar with the matter told ToI last week that President Biden is unlikely to start a public dispute with Israel over it.