Israel rejects US plan to reopen consulate in occupied Jerusalem
UN Ambassador to Israel Gilad Erdan in Jerusalem on 11 December 2018 [AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images] May 27, 2021 at 11:03 am
The Israeli occupation authorities rejected on Wednesday the US plan to reopen its consulate in East Jerusalem, local media have reported.
Israel s Ambassador in Washington, Gilad Erdan, said that the government firmly opposes the move to reopen the consulate catering for the Palestinians within what he described as Israel s sovereign territory .
According to the
Jerusalem Post, the issue was raised during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday. That was the day when Blinken announced the decision to reopen the consulate which has historically served as an office in charge of diplomatic relations with Palestine.
The talks will also focus on accelerating the reconstruction process in Gaza
AFP PHOTO / HO / PRESIDENCIA EGIPCIA - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Egypt has invited Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority to hold separate talks aimed at consolidating the ceasefire that ended an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas militant rulers in the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian intelligence official said on Thursday. The talks will also focus on speeding up Gaza s reconstruction process, according to the AP news agency. We are looking for a long-term truce, allowing for further discussions and possibly direct talks, said the official, who was closely familiar with the procedures leading to the ceasefire and who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief reporters.
May 27, 2021
Reports this morning say Israel has conditioned the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip on advancing the issue of bringing back its citizens and bodies of soldiers held by Hamas. Avraham Avera Mengistu crossed the northern section of the fence separating Israel and Gaza and headed toward the Gaza shore in 2014. Hisham al-Sayed entered Gaza in 2015 through an opening in the fence in the east. They haven t been seen since. Israel believes that Mengistu and Sayed, who reportedly suffer from mental health issues, are held by Hamas. The Islamist movement also holds the bodies of soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who were killed in the 2014 Gaza war.