Palestine, Israel spar over US Mission in Jerusalem

Tel Aviv, November 7

Palestinians on Sunday slammed Israel for rejecting the promised reopening of the US consulate in Jerusalem, a move that would restore Washington’s main diplomatic mission for the Palestinians in the contested city.

Israel PM Naftali Bennett said late Saturday there was no room in Jerusalem for another American mission.

The Trump administration shuttered the US Jerusalem consulate, an office that for years served as the de facto embassy to the Palestinians. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has pledged to reopen it, a move that Israel says would challenge its sovereignty over the city. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it views the reopening as part of global community’s commitments to ending Israel’s occupation of territories the Palestinians seek for their future state. — AP