By Prof. Eugene Kontorovich
(OCTOBER 7, 2021 / ISRAEL HAYOM) The Biden administration is trying to partially undo one of Israel's greatest diplomatic achievements of recent decades – the recognition of Israel's sovereignty over all of Jerusalem by the U.S., followed by numerous other countries. The good news is unlike many diplomatic attacks, the Israeli government has the power to stop it.
The U.S. does not want to open a consulate merely to have a place for diplomatic liaisons with the PA. If that is all they wanted, they could easily do this by opening a mission in Abu Dis or Ramallah – where most other countries conduct their relations with the PA. Or they could reopen the Palestinian mission in Washington, D.C., which Trump also closed. But by instead demanding that Israel accede to a consulate in Jerusalem, the administration is showing this is not just about having a convenient place for coffee with PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
Indeed, the purpose of opening the consulate is to recognize Palestinian claims to Jerusalem. If the PA has no legitimate claim to Jerusalem, there can be no reason to have a consulate there. To be sure, this is why opening the consulate is the main Israel-related policy demand of radically anti-Israel Rep. Ilhan Omar. Point of fact, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro made clear before the last U.S. election that opening a separate consulate to the Palestinians would be designed to signal U.S. support for a Palestinian capital in that city.
