Palestine slams Israeli refusal to reopen US consulate in Jerusalem

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestine on Sunday decried the Israeli refusal to reopen a US consulate to serve Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem.

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said there is no place for an American consulate to serve Palestinians in Jerusalem.

Bennett's statement is a "critical test for the US administration of Joe Biden," the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry called on the US administration to stick to its stance on reopening the US Consulate in Jerusalem for the Palestinians.

“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,” the ministry said.

In 2019, former US President Donald Trump closed the US Consulate in East Jerusalem and merged it with the US Embassy after moving it to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had earlier announced plans 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 capital of a future Palestinian state.

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* Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara