A letter signed by 200 House Republicans opposing the U.S. reopening of the Jerusalem consulate serving Palestinians was expected to be sent to President Joe Biden on Monday morning.
The letter was led by New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress along with Tennessee Rep. David Kustoff.
All of the House Republican leadership signed the letter, which states that reopening the consulate goes against the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 "by promoting division of Jerusalem."
“Your administration would create a misguided situation in which the U.S. would essentially have two separate diplomatic missions in Israel’s capital," the letter reads. “The U.S. consulate general in Jerusalem that was established in 1844 was not intended to serve as an outreach to the Palestinians in Israel’s capital."
The letter also notes the Israeli government's opposition to reopening the consulate.
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The U.S. consulate in Jerusalem closed after the embassy was moved to the capital from Tel Aviv
(Photo: AFP)
“Reopening the U.S. consulate general in Jerusalem would also reward and turn a blind eye to the Palestinian Authority engaging in the real obstacles to peace," the letter adds.
The bipartisan Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 required the U.S. to move its embassy to Jerusalem and recognize the city as Israel's capital. The law was waived by previous presidents until former president Donald Trump, who effectively shut down the diplomatic mission for Palestinians in 2019.
The consulate was downgraded to the Palestinian Affairs Unit and merged with the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem that opened in May 2018 after Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital.