(November 2, 2021, Washington, DC) 200 members of Congress led by Rep. Lee Zeldin (D-NY) sent a letter to President Joe Biden Monday expressing strong disapproval regarding opening a consulate in eastern Jerusalem for Palestinians. The letter cites the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (Public Law 104–45) which states, “Jerusalem should remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected…Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel.”  

By opening a consulate in Jerusalem, the US would be denying Israel the right to designate her own capital, a right that is guaranteed to all other nations. It would also be inconsistent with years of legislative policy as well as with existing American law; the Senate passed a resolution 90-0 in June 2017 to commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem on the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War and reaffirmed the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. 

In 1995, as a Senator, President Biden signed the Jerusalem Embassy Act. The Law was passed by an overwhelming majority, 93 to 5 and a vote of 374 to 37 in the House. The law specifically states that “Jerusalem should remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected…Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel.” 

EMET sincerely lauds Rep. Zeldin and his 199 colleagues for taking a stand on this critically important issue. A Jerusalem consulate would reward Palestinians for their violent behavior and damage the vital US-Israel alliance by ignoring Israel’s sovereignty. 

Said EMET founder and president Sarah Stern, “Despite decades upon decades of bad behavior recognized by both the international community as well as the United States, including the rewarding of terrorists and their families with bountiful payments for the murder of Israeli and American civilians the all-pervasive incitement to hate and to murder within Palestinian society, as well as encouraging the discriminatory Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) of the state of Israel, the Biden administration has chosen to ignore this malign behavior, and to give the Palestinians a highly sought after reward.

“Beyond that, a separate consulate in East Jerusalem for Palestinians contravenes the existing US law – the Jerusalem Embassy Act – specifically states that “Jerusalem should remain an undivided city.” This move threatens to establish a dangerous precedent of dividing Israel’s eternal capital. 

“Why is the Biden administration choosing to do this now, when most Palestinians would find it easier to travel to a consulate in Ramallah? Why is the Biden administration trying to create a rupture in the very heart of an eternal Jewish dream? Why is Israel the only nation that seems to be denied the right to choose its own destiny on its own soil? Does the Biden administration not realize that this will establish a precedent for other nations to follow, and may well divide Israel’s eternal capital?  Why is the Biden administration willfully blinding itself to decade upon decade of the Palestinians’ malign behavior? Israel is not a vassal state.”

About The Endowment for Middle East Truth
Founded in 2005, EMET’s mission is to educate policymakers in Washington and the general public about the importance of Israel to the United States in their common struggle against radical Islam.  For more information, please visit www.emetonline.org. Follow EMET on Twitter and Facebook.
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