For many Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the decision to open a US consulate in the center of the capital is first and foremost a bureaucratic line: Palestinian applicants, some of whom are U.S. citizens, will be able to receive consular services without going through the Israeli embassy. A commitment he made to the pro-Palestinian wing of his party, and in particular sends a message to the Israeli government that he has the power and authority to make decisions based on his policies. Jerusalem will be the capital of two states, Israel and Palestine.
However, those who are familiar with the geopolitical reality in Jerusalem know that the consulate building in central Jerusalem will never serve as the future embassy in the Palestinian state that will not be established soon.
It was, and will be, nothing more than a consular office.
The fear in Israel, especially on the right, is a bit excessive, and especially difficult to explain: after all, it is a sovereign state's decision to use its assets for the benefit of its interests.
And above all, there is the perplexity about the great concern for the "United Jerusalem" brand.
Because those who know Jerusalem know that this is not one city, and certainly not a united one.
Regardless of the political identity or ideology of the leadership, Jerusalem is divided between the two populations living in cultural, municipal and social distance from each other.
The municipal and government services barely reach the 350,000 Palestinian residents of the eastern part of the city, who are struggling to hold their Israeli identity cards - but on the other hand are also determined to preserve their Palestinian identity - and here are the raw materials for civil and national conflict.
Israel's main and perhaps sole control is security, since the villages near the city, which are considered an integral part of its municipal territory, are in fact slums, where unemployment and crime are rising.
There is no denying that in recent years there has been a revival in the provision of municipal services in the east of the city, and yet, East Jerusalem and its residents are much more interesting than intra-municipal.
This is a national, political, and sometimes security issue, the strategy of which is led by the Israeli governments, and not by the sanitation and welfare departments in the municipality.
Here's a suggestion: Before you panic about opening a consulate, you may want to formulate a clear policy regarding the city's east neighborhoods and decide once and for all: whether they are part of the city in the full sense of the word, or not.
And if they insist on collecting taxes and property taxes from Palestinian residents of the city - it is not appropriate to restrict them in everything related to residency and citizenship.
And do not have to wait for the consulate, enough to handle queues at the Interior Ministry.
