The US State Department reiterated on Tuesday its commitment to reopening the US Consulate in Jerusalem, playing down an Israeli report issued recently that the Biden administration’s promise to do so had been shelved
State Department Spokesman Ned Price stressed that the US continues to believe the consulate can be an important way for the US to engage with and provide support to the Palestinian people, noting they’re further discussing the issue with Israelis and Palestinians.
Emphasizing that there are a number of steps that go into the reopening of any diplomatic facility, Price said there are some unique sensitivities to this particular facility, noting the pushback from Israel has delayed the consulate’s reopening.
After the former US President Donald Trump moved Washington’s embassy to Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in 2018 and unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, he also shut down the separate facility in the city that served as a consulate for Palestinians.
The Palestinian Authority saw the step as a downgrade of its ties with the US, and Ramallah has refused to engage with the PAU. However, the Biden administration had vowed to reopen the diplomatic mission Trump shuttered, but no date has been set.
Citing unidentified US and Palestinian officials, The Times of Israel wrote on Sunday that Washington was planning to appoint the current top State Department diplomat for the region, Hady Amr, as a special US envoy to the Palestinians in lieu of reopening the facility.
According to their report, Amr will be stationed in Washington but will travel regularly to the region and work closely with the Palestinian Affairs Unit, currently a branch within the US Embassy to Israel and housed in the old Jerusalem consulate building.
Price, on the other hand, said there were no personnel movements to announce.
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