On Sunday, Palestine slammed Israel’s refusal to reopen the US consulate to serve Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem: a step which was taken by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett the day before, saying there is no place for an American consulate to serve Palestinians in Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Bennett’s words are a “critical test for the Biden administration.”
The ministry called on the US administration to stick to its stance on reopening the US Consulate in Jerusalem for the Palestinians.
The ministry further stated: “It is high time for the international community to take the lead in respecting its obligations and assume its legal and moral responsibilities towards the Israeli occupation and settlements, and to stop its miserable trust in the Israeli government.”
Former US President Donald Trump closed the US Consulate in East Jerusalem in 2019 and merged it with the US Embassy after moving it to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
Earlier plans have been announced by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to reopen the US consulate in East Jerusalem.
Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping East Jerusalem, now occupied by Israel, might eventually serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
