President Joe Biden insisted that his administration will continue to seek to reopen the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem. Axios report on Wednesday. The move went against the opposition of Israel and its prime minister Naftali Bennett, who feared that the reopening of the consulate would have an impact on his fragile alliance.
Biden met with Bennett for the first time in August, assuring his Israeli counterparts that the United States has Other options It can be used if negotiations on the Iranian nuclear agreement fail. The Trump administration abandoned the agreement with the support of Bennett’s predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu, who now leads the Israeli opposition.Like Netanyahu, Bennett is be opposed to To the nuclear agreement.
During the White House meeting, Biden also talked about the sensitive topic of restoring the US consulate in Jerusalem. Shutters Proposed by former President Donald Trump in 2019. The consulate was originally located in East Jerusalem and was a channel for American diplomats to interact with the Palestinian Authority.Biden insisted on the Trump administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and leave the U.S. Embassy there, but he has been committed to Recovery assistance To the Palestinian Authority that was reduced under his predecessor.
It is widely expected that Biden will reopen The consulate, he insisted that Bennett stick to his position.He also emphasized that the Secretary of State has pledged to reopen it Anthony winked, He said in May that the government will honor this promise.
As far as Bennett is concerned, he expressed disagreement with the policy. The Prime Minister did not fight against the President of the United States because of his wishes, but took the initiative to initiate policy discussions on the matter between officials from both sides.
Reopening the Palestinian consulate could be politically dangerous for Bennett, who led a fragile coalition of right-leaning and left-leaning parties that came together to end Netanyahu’s prime ministerial position. Members of his government are not keen on agreeing to actions that they believe infringe on Israel’s sovereignty. Any reopening of the consulate requires Israel’s prior approval, and Bennett hopes to maintain his coalition unity while restoring relations with the United States. Even a single resignation will lead to its collapse.
The Biden administration seems to be aware of Bennett’s domestic situation. Since Bennett took office, the White House has regarded him as a more popular partner than the belligerent Netanyahu. As a gesture of goodwill, Biden postponed the reopening of the consulate until November, when the Israeli government is expected to push for the approval of its first budget on November 4.
Talk to U.S. officials Aksios Implied that the budget vote is expected to succeed or fail Bennett’s control of the prime minister’s office. They predict that, if successful, Bennett can continue to serve until the handover of power to his Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in accordance with the rotation agreement they facilitated to overthrow Netanyahu. If the vote fails, the alliance may fall apart.
