0 shares Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) speaks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on May 25, 2021, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP) US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Tuesday announced plans to reopen the US consulate in Jerusalem that had historically served as the de facto representative to the Palestinians. Blinken made the comments while meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, “As I told both Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and President Abbas, the United States will be moving forward with the process to reopen our consulate in Jerusalem. That’s an important way for our country to engage with and provide support for the Palestinian people,” Blinken told reporters while sitting alongside Abbas, during his first trip to the region as US President Joe Biden’s top diplomat.