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1 \\ Fate of U.S. consulate in Jerusalem uncertain as Biden takes office. My story on @axios https://www.axios.com/us-consulate-general-jerusalem-biden-palestinians-e2ae10d6-60fd-42aa-a2f3-363e5c02e963.html
2 \\ Outgoing U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman made the case against reopening the U.S. consulate general in Jerusalem on Monday in a hearing of the foreign relations and security committee in the Israeli parliament
3 \\ Why it matters: During the election campaign, Biden said his administration would reopen the consulate, which had served as the U.S. diplomatic mission to the Palestinians until it was shut down by the Trump administration and merged into the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem
4 \\ Re-opening the consulate in Jerusalem would upgrade U.S. diplomatic representation to the Palestinian Authority and signal that the U.S. recognizes Palestinian claims to part of Jerusalem
5 \\ A request by Biden to reopen the consulate would have to be approved by the Israeli government, and could turn into a contentious domestic political issue in Israel. An Israeli refusal could create tensions with Biden
6 \\ According to Israeli lawmakers who attended Friedman’s briefing, the outgoing ambassador said that, based on State Department policy, the U.S. should not open a consulate in a city that already hosts an American embassy - and this policy should be implemented in this case too
7 \\ “This is a decision for the Israeli government to make. It’s for you to decide not for the U.S. administration," Friedman told the Israeli members of Knesset at the hearing, according to one of the lawmakers who attended
8 \\ Palestinian leaders cut off ties to Washington after Trump's embassy move, but are preparing a charm offensive for Biden in hopes that he'll reverse a number of Trump's policy, including over the consulate
9 \\ Flashback: The U.S. first opened a consulate in Jerusalem in 1844, when the city was part of the Ottoman empire. It continued through the British mandate and after the state of Israel was formed, at which time a U.S. embassy was also established in Tel Aviv
10 \\ In the 1990’s, after the Oslo Accords, the consulate became the U.S. diplomatic mission to the Palestinian Authority, handling relations with the West Bank & Gaza.
In March 2019, the consulate was shut down & made a department of the newly inaugurated U.S. embassy to Israel
In March 2019, the consulate was shut down & made a department of the newly inaugurated U.S. embassy to Israel
11 \\ The post of consul general was eliminated and U.S. diplomatic representation to the Palestinian Authority was downgraded. U.S. diplomats handling relations with the Palestinians had to report to Friedman, with no direct channel to Washington
12 \\ What’s next: This is one of several key topics of discussion inside the Israeli government as it prepares for Biden's administration to assume office. The Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's office declined to comment. END
