U.S. to reopen Jerusalem consulate, upgrading Palestinian ties
Meeting with Palestinian President Abbas, Blinken says Biden administration will ask Congress for $75M in development and economic assistance, including immediate transfer of $37.5M to rebuilding efforts in Gaza and UNRWA
News Agencies |
Published: 05.25.21 , 19:13
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced Tuesday the reopening of the American Consulate General in Jerusalem a move that restores ties with the Palestinians that had been downgraded by the Trump administration.
The consulate long served as an autonomous office in charge of diplomatic relations with the Palestinians. But former U.S. President Donald Trump downgraded its operations and placed them under the authority of his ambassador to Israel when he moved the embassy to Jerusalem. The move infuriated the Palestinians, who view East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
Blinken, who arrived in Israel early Tuesday, is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the region since President Joe Biden assumed office.
The administration had hoped to extricate the U.S. from the region s intractable conflicts and focus on competition with China and climate change. But like so many of its predecessors, it was pulled back into the Middle East by another outbreak of violence.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by Israeli Chief of State Protocol Gil Haskelas as he steps off the plane Tuesday upon arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel.(Alex Brandon/Reuters )
Blinken says US will aid Gaza without helping Hamas - Medicine Hat NewsMedicine Hat News medicinehatnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medicinehatnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Antony Blinken says United States will aid Gaza without helping Hamas
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Last Updated: May 25, 2021, 05:04 PM IST
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Synopsis
But the top U.S. diplomat faces the same obstacles that have stifled a wider peace process for more than a decade, including a hawkish Israeli leadership, Palestinian divisions and deeply rooted tensions surrounding Jerusalem and its holy sites. The Biden administration had initially hoped to avoid being drawn into the intractable conflict and focus on other foreign policy priorities before the violence broke out.
AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken leave following a joint press conference in Jerusalem on May 25, 2021