17 Dec 2021; MEMO: The United States has backtracked on its pledge to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to reopen its consulate in occupied East Jerusalem, the Times of Israel revealed yesterday.
The Israeli daily said that it has been seven months since the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken notified PA President Mahmoud Abbas of the Biden administration's plan to reopen the US Consulate in Jerusalem. No progress has since been made on the plan.
Reporting a US diplomat and a source familiar with the matter, the paper said the Biden administration has effectively shelved its effort to reopen the mission.
The Times of Israel said that the US position is that it "will move forward with the process of reopening the consulate in Jerusalem," but the three sources confirmed to it that no such process has begun. Officials are now shifting their focus to policies which are more likely to impact day-to-day life for Palestinians.
This is a result of the significant pushback from Israel, which would have to sign off on the move.
