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Israeli Foreign Minister: Palestinian Consulate in Jerusalem Jeopardizes Israel
(Jerusalem Post) Tovah Lazaroff - Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke on Wednesday against U.S. plans to reopen its consulate in Jerusalem which worked directly with the Palestinian Authority. The former U.S. administration had closed the consulate in 2019, folding its services into the U.S. Embassy which relocated to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv the previous year. Lapid said, "Once it was closed, reopening it will send the wrong message, not only to the region, not only to the Palestinians, but also to other countries. We don't want this to happen." Israel fears that reopening the consulate would be tantamount to recognizing PA rights to Jerusalem. "Jerusalem is the sovereign capital of Israel and Israel alone, and therefore we don't think it's a good idea. We know the administration has a different way of looking at this. But since this is happening in Israel, we are sure that they are listening to us very carefully when we explain to them our point of view."