On the way to a confrontation: "The United States will impose a Palestinian consulate on Israel" | Israel Today

The United States is about to unilaterally force Israel to open a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem, Israel Today, two sources in Washington, who are updated on government policy, told Israel Today.

Before our request, a spokesman for the American embassy in Jerusalem confirmed the following: "The words of the Secretary of State in Linken speak for themselves."

Four months after the formation of the government in Israel, the gaps between it and the Biden administration seem unbridgeable, despite Foreign Minister Lapid's visit to the United States this week.

Consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem (archive), Photo: Photo: Oren Ben Hakon

The United States is pushing for the resumption of operations for the Palestinian consulate on West Agron Street in west Jerusalem. Israel: If this does not succeed, after the state budget is approved in the Knesset and the government stabilizes, the government may take a unilateral step.

The Agron compound is currently used as the official residence of the American ambassador to Israel.

The place served until 2019 as an independent consulate for the Palestinian Authority, and was closed by the Trump administration.

In Israel, it is believed that the Americans should open the consulate in Ramallah or Abu Dis, outside the city's municipal boundaries.

The administration rejects these proposals outright.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Photo: EP

According to an American source, in an extreme scenario, the designated American ambassador, Tom Nides, will start operating the consulate independently without Israeli approval, close to taking office in a few weeks and after the Knesset approves the state budget.

MK Nir Barkat of the Likud told Israel Today that he also received information that the administration would force Israel to open the consulate. Last summer, Barkat flew to the United States to try to minimize damage in this regard: "As far as the Biden administration is concerned, Israel and this is controversial. "

Opposition leader MK Benjamin Netanyahu St. Bennett: "And again the government 'contains', even when it comes to Jerusalem."

MK Nir Barkat in the Knesset, August 2021, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon