US needs Israeli approval to reopen Jerusalem Palestinian consulate: official

A US official has confirmed that Israel would need to give its approval for reopening the American consulate in Jerusalem for the Palestinians, which the Israeli government has refused to do.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab Staff

28 October, 2021

Israel has completely refused plans to reopen the US' Palestinian consulate [Getty]

A top US official said on Wednesday that Washington would need Israeli approval to reopen its Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem.

Brian McKeon, US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, said the approval of the "host country" was a condition for opening diplomatic headquarters, during a hearing before the US Senate.

US President Joe Biden has vowed to improve Washington's ties with the Palestinians after they were shaken under his predecessor Donald Trump.

Israel has outright refused to allow the US to reopen its de-facto Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem, which was shuttered when Trump moved his country’s embassy there from Tel Aviv in 2018.

The state - which claims the whole of Jerusalem to be its capital - fears that other countries might be encouraged to do the same.

Reports last week said the US was looking to form a joint team with Israel to resolve the consulate issue to avoid turning it into a wider diplomatic dispute.