"Atarot, Givat Hamatos and E1 will decide the fate of the Palestinian dream for the division of the city, and the fate of the Zionist dream to preserve it as one city," wrote Nadav Shragai in the "Israel Hashavua" supplement, concluding: "Israel may, therefore, "Construction. To quarrel over the right thing. After all, it is the settlement that has determined and will determine the future boundaries of Jerusalem in the future. Symbols, such as the consulate, no matter how important, will determine less."
Let us assume for a moment that only a few weeks ago, in an article in the same supplement, Shragai presented a completely different position of the Bennett government, which saw this move as something that could lead to a policy "that seeks to divide Jerusalem and establish a Palestinian capital in the east of the city for a future Palestinian state." And let’s assume that the very act of putting the construction in front of the consulate smells like a spin, the purpose of which is to legitimize the waiver. But is it possible to talk about opening a consulate for a foreign entity in the capital of a country, as a matter that is (only) symbolic? After all, this is a violation of Israeli law, American law and the Vienna Convention, and above all, it is a complete reversal of American recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which was embodied in the relocation of the embassy. Such an act would be irreversible (it is difficult to imagine that another administration would change this) and could affect Israel's status in all parts of the city.
But it seems that similar to other principles that the current government has learned to translate into a matter of price (such as maintaining the partnership with RAAM and distributing other coalition funds), it seems that (non) recognition of our sovereignty in Jerusalem has a price. A thousand or two thousand housing units? The plane? Actual construction or approval of plans? Should be considered. But the main thing is that in the right mix the establishment of a consulate can be qualified. ? 50,000? 100,000 housing units? When do the real estate appraisals end and when do we begin to understand that this is a loss - Jerusalem and our sovereignty?
Indeed, it would be symbolic if, God forbid, the consulate were opened in exchange for one deal or another. A tragic sign of a transition from a government that made a paradigm shift in the Middle East regarding the perception of Israel's political and security power, to a government that cracked a zero-surprise policy vis-à-vis Iran, and continued on a slippery slope to becoming a protectorate. From the days of independence and power will take us, symbolically of course, to the days of "wall and tower". The buildings may be built (although there is doubt about that as well) but the mandate will return with them as well.
"After the budget" has been said so many times in recent weeks, in a tone that suggests something will change after that.
Here too, however, there is reason to believe that what was not fought for before the budget, when it was still possible to bargain, will now become a fait accompli.
MK Auerbach tweeted the signal after the budget transfer: "The beginning of the growth of our redemption," he wrote pathetically.