Minister of Religious Affairs Matan Kahana, who is considered the closest minister to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, appeared in the Knesset plenum today (Monday), calling on members of the Mishkan not to support the opposition's motion of no confidence following the US intention to reopen the Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem. The Trump administration.
In a speech from the podium, Kahana linked the issue of opposition political proceedings to the opposition, claiming: "We are under the impression that most of the coverage of the issue recently stems from the Likud primaries, and the desire of people to make it personal. It is a pity.
The building of the Palestinian consulate on Agron Street, Jerusalem, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Kahana addressed the issue in general, saying that in Israel they oppose the opening of the consulate, but pass their opposition to the US administration behind closed doors and do not create public confrontations with them.
"In July 1980, the Basic Law stipulated that Jerusalem was the capital of the State of Israel," the minister said. "In December 2017, the previous US administration recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel.
"Therefore, the position of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister is that there is no place for an American consulate that provides services to the Palestinians in Jerusalem. "This position has been expressed to the Americans several times. The nature of our relationship with the Americans is such that we prefer to manage the disagreements between us in a quiet and discreet manner," the minister concluded.
