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Jerusalem Consulate for Palestinians Is a Fight Biden Doesn't Need
(Bloomberg-Washington Post) Zev Chafets - The U.S. consulate in eastern Jerusalem was long seen in Israel as an advocate for the agenda of the Palestine Liberation Organization. A de facto U.S. embassy to the Palestinians, the consulate stood as a symbol of America's refusal to accept Israeli sovereignty over the entire city or to formally recognize it as Israel's capital. That policy ended in 2018, when the Trump Administration moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. For Israel, this was the fulfilment of a national dream. The vast majority of its Jewish citizens see Jerusalem as the country's sovereign capital. If the U.S. presses, Israel will push back. Prime Minister Bennett is counting on a dose of realism in Washington to save the day. President Biden faces a long list of international challenges. Bennett is betting that Biden will not want to add a contentious dispute with Israel over Jerusalem to his list. The writer served for five years as director of the Israel Government Press Office.