Middle East Monitor / December 28, 2021
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has stressed that no American consulate would be opened in Jerusalem while he is in his post, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.
Speaking to the Knesset, Bennett said: “The government under my leadership has repeatedly clarified its position that there is no place for a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem.”
According to The Jerusalem Post, Bennett said: “Jerusalem is the capital of one state, the State of Israel, period.”
Former US President Donald Trump closed the American consulate in occupied Jerusalem 2019. However, US President Joe Biden has pledged to reopen the consulate but this would require Israel’s consent.
Israel has opposed the move, which it believes gives the PA a foothold in Jerusalem and validates the PA’s claim that East Jerusalem is the future capital of a Palestinian state.
