Blinken: US to reopen Jerusalem consulate
(25 May 2021) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Tuesday that the U.S. would reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem - a move that restores ties with Palestinians that had been downgraded by the Trump administration. The consulate long served as an autonomous office in charge of diplomatic relations with the Palestinians. But former U.S. President Donald Trump downgraded its operations and placed them under the authority of his ambassador to Israel when he moved the embassy to Jerusalem. Trump's move infuriated the Palestinians, who view east Jerusalem as occupied territory and the capital of their future state. Blinken did not give a precise date for reopening the consulate. Blinken announced the step after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. The U.S. is trying to bolster Abbas in his rivalry with Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group and on the international stage. “As I told the president, I’m here to underscore the commitment of the United States to rebuilding the relationship with the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people, a relationship built on mutual respect and also a shared conviction that Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve equal measures of security, freedom opportunity and dignity,” he said. Blinken is in the region to help shore up the cease-fire last week that ended a devastating war 11-day war between Israel and Hamas that killed more than 250 people, mostly Palestinians, and caused widespread destruction in the impoverished coastal territory. He promised to “rally international support” to aid Gaza after the war while keeping any assistance out of the hands of Hamas. He later announced nearly 40 million US dollars in aid to the Palestinians, including 5.5 million US dollars in emergency assistance for Gaza. That brings total U.S. assistance to the Palestinians under the Biden administration to over 360 million US dollars after the Trump administration had cut off nearly all assistance to them. Blinken has promised that any assistance will be kept out of the hands of Hamas, which does not recognize Israel’s right to exist and which Israel and the U.S. consider a terrorist organization. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
