Biden must not compromise on the reopening of the US Consulate in Jerusalem

About 7 months have passed since US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Informed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has announced Washington’s plans to reopen the US Consulate in Jerusalem. However, President Joe Biden’s administration has not yet fulfilled that pledge.The Times of Israel report The United States has effectively shelved efforts to reopen a diplomatic mission to Palestinians.

For decades, the US Consulate in Jerusalem served Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Closed in 2019 by then-President Donald Trump, its staff was folded into the US Embassy in Israel. The embassy moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem a year ago.

The Biden administration’s hesitation in reopening the consulate was due to Israel’s fierce refusal and opposition. So far, the administration seems to have succumbed to Israeli pressure and effectively allowed Tel Aviv to direct US foreign policy.

The United States is Israel permission The city consulate will be reopened. And, as expected, Israel has expressed a refusal to move, as it sees Jerusalem as a challenge to the claim that it is the undivided capital of Israel. This claim has been rejected by the international community.

However, the Biden administration does not require permission from Israel in the first place. In fact, the overall point of Palestinians seeking the reopening of consulates is for the United States to confirm the approval of Palestinian rights in the city.

The United States, which seeks permission from Israel, is the de facto approval of Israel’s apartheid rule over Palestinians and the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel.

Washington also must remember that the US Consulate in Jerusalem existed long before the Israeli-Palestinian conflict broke out. It was founded in 1844, more than a century before Israel was born in 1948. Therefore, resuming the diplomatic mission does not create a new reality. It only restored the status quo that was there for about 175 years before Trump destroyed it.

Confirm the heritage of playing cards

Since taking office, the Biden administration has shown no interest in engaging in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It showed complete negligence in Palestinian plight and seemed willing to turn a blind eye to Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territory.

President Biden also failed to correct the mistakes the Trump administration made against Palestinians. Washington has taken steps to overturn Trump’s actions on Iran, Europe and Yemen, but his illegal occupation measures remain largely in place.

Washington has not returned or reopened the US Embassy from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. PLO office in Washington Or, above all, the US Consulate in Jerusalem.

Trump’s measures directly violated international law, UNSC resolutions, and the Geneva Convention, which allowed pre-1967 territories to occupy Palestinian lands, including East Jerusalem.

The former president’s move aimed to justify the occupation of Israel and create new facts on the ground that would undermine the rights of Palestinians. In line with this policy, the closure of the consulate was aimed at outlawing Palestinian rights to Jerusalem.

By taking no action, the Biden administration effectively supports those illegal parameters, allowing itself to be a continuation of the Trump administration. Biden gives Trump’s position credibility at the expense of the international community and the position of the former US government.

Israel is shaking as the United States is shaken by consular issues To accelerate Major settlement projects in East Jerusalem and the most sensitive areas around it.Including these settlements E1 And Givat Hamatos intends to isolate East Jerusalem from the West Bank.

Litmus test

When Biden took office, he said he wanted to Put human rights at the heart of US foreign policy.. The problem of the US Consulate in Jerusalem is a perfect test.

If the consulate fails to reopen, the Biden administration will approve and justify the accelerated settlement of Israel and the expulsion of Palestinians from Jerusalem. It will also settle Israeli settlers in the city. It will also bold Tel Aviv and ban other diplomatic missions to Palestinians from operating in the city.

There should be no compromise on this issue. The Biden administration should immediately reopen the consulate and use this move as a statement to Israeli leaders, stating that the colonization and isolation of East Jerusalem would not be tolerated by the United States. It would also be an emphasized statement of Palestinian freedom and their commitment to their rights to an independent state capitalized in East Jerusalem.

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