Senators Move to Block Biden’s Plan to Reopen Consulate for Palestinians

JNS.org – Three-dozen Republican senators introduced a bill on Tuesday that aims to block the Biden administration’s plan to reopen the US consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem.

Called Upholding the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Law Act of 2021, the bill was introduced by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and co-sponsored by 34 additional Republicans. It calls on the Biden administration to uphold the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 and not reopen the US Consulate for Palestinians, which merged with the US embassy when it was relocated to Jerusalem in May 2018.

“[US] President [Joe] Biden continues to push forward his inflammatory plan to establish a second mission in Israel’s capital city of Jerusalem—one for the Israelis and a second one for the Palestinians—despite the fact that this plan violates the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 and is completely opposed by the government of Israel,” Hagerty said in a statement.

“It is regrettable that the Biden administration insists on making moves that divide the United States and Israel when our two nations should be laser-focused on stopping Iran’s terror-sponsoring regime from going nuclear; on countering growing threats from Hezbollah, Hamas and other Iran-backed terrorist groups; and on strengthening and expanding the historic Abraham Accords that truly have increased peace in the Middle East.”