Israel opposes reopening of US consulate in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM

Israel on Wednesday rejected a decision by the US administration to reopen its consulate general in occupied East Jerusalem.

Israeli Ambassador in Washington, Gilad Erdan, told the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation that Tel Aviv firmly opposes such US move to reopen its consulate to the Palestinians within what he described as Israel's sovereign territory.

He, however, ruled out that the Israeli opposition will cause any crisis with Washington.

According to The Jerusalem Post newspaper, the issue was raised during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.

Blinken said Tuesday that Washington will reopen its consulate in Jerusalem, which had historically served as an office in charge of diplomatic relations with Palestine.

His comments came during a press conference following a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah as part of an official visit to the occupied Palestinian territories.

In 2018, the administration of former US President Donald Trump closed the consulate in East Jerusalem after it recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara