US Consulate to Open in Jerusalem Soon

US consulate in Jerusalem (AP)
US consulate in Jerusalem (AP)
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US Consulate to Open in Jerusalem Soon

US consulate in Jerusalem (AP)
US consulate in Jerusalem (AP)

A high-ranking Israeli official told the Israeli channel i24news that the US Consulate will open in Jerusalem soon.

In the past few months, the administration of President Joe Biden informed Israel that it was about to open the US consulate in Jerusalem unilaterally if Naftali Bennett's government had not responded to the matter after approving the general budget.

The Biden administration has worked to reach understandings with Israel about the consulate, but to no avail.

Biden insists on reopening a US consulate to deal with Palestinian affairs, in a clear indication of dramatic change to the policy of his predecessor Donald Trump regarding Palestine.

Trump closed the consulate in Jerusalem in 2019 after moving his country's embassy from Tel Aviv and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The consulate was merged with the embassy as part of a plan known as the "Deal of the Century."

The US consulate in Jerusalem is the subject of a "political" and "sovereign" conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

For over 20 years, the consulate has been the diplomatic representation to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which issues visas and overlooks various projects, including humanitarian and financial aid.

Unlike Trump, Biden supports the two-state solution, curbing settlement activity, and financially supports the PA.

The government source confirmed that despite Washington's position, the Israeli government is in the process of announcing a new settlement plan in East Jerusalem.

The plan includes constructing thousands of settlement units in the city.

Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked admitted there were differences with the US administration.

On settlements, Shaked said the sides would simply have to "agree to disagree" on the issue. "That's how it is."

"There are gaps between the current American administration and our position on building in Judea and Samaria. We need to understand that these gaps exist and learn to work with them," she said.

Shaked rejected the possibility of a compromise that would see settlement construction limited by amount or location. "No, this is out of the question," she said.

"We have no problem doing everything in coordination [with the US], as much as possible, if they want. But we're not changing our policy," the interior minister noted.



Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
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Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo

Human rights defenders rallied on Thursday to support the top UN expert on Palestinian rights, after the United States imposed sanctions on her over what it said was unfair criticism of Israel.

Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese serves as special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, one of dozens of experts appointed by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council to report on specific global issues.

She has long criticized Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, and this month published a report accusing over 60 companies, including some US firms, of supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and military actions in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday Albanese would be added to the US sanctions list for work which had prompted what he described as illegitimate prosecutions of Israelis at the International Criminal Court.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Washington to reverse course.

"Even in the face of fierce disagreement, UN Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures," he said, Reuters reported.

Juerg Lauber, the Swiss permanent representative to the UN who now holds the rotating presidency of the Human Rights Council, said he regretted the sanctions, and called on states to "refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal" against the body's experts.

Mariana Katzarova, who serves as the special rapporteur for human rights in Russia, said her concern was that other countries would follow the US lead.

"This is totally unacceptable and opens the gates for any other government to do the same," she told Reuters. "It is an attack on UN system as a whole. Member states must stand up and denounce this."

Russia has rejected Katzarova's mandate and refused to let her enter the country, but it has so far stopped short of publicly adding her to a sanctions list.

Washington has already imposed sanctions against officials at the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for suspected war crimes in Gaza. Another court, the International Court of Justice, is hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide.

Israel denies that its forces have carried out war crimes or genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza, which was precipitated by an attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023.

"The United States is working to dismantle the norms and institutions on which survivors of grave abuses rely," said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch.

The group's former head, Kenneth Roth, called the US sanctions an attempt "to deter prosecution of Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza".

The United States, once one of the most active members of the Human Rights Council, has disengaged from it under President Donald Trump, alleging an anti-Israel bias.