Knesset Law Blocks US (and Others) from Establishing Consulates in Jerusalem

The Israeli Knesset passed into law legislation pre-empting the US from establishing a US consulate in Jerusalem to serve the Palestinian Authority, on Tuesday night.

Approved by a vote of 29-7, the legislation stipulates that no new consulates will be established in Jerusalem, while the government encourages countries to establish embassies in the Israeli capital. The law will not impact consulates currently operating in Jerusalem.

“In the previous term, we had to threaten to resign from the government to stop an American attempt to establish a consulate for Palestinians in East Jerusalem and undermine the status of united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. From today, there is no longer any reason to pressure the State of Israel; it is simply prohibited by law,” the bill’s co-sponsor, New Hope MK Ze’ev Elkin tweeted.

Following the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993, the consulate evolved into a de facto U.S. embassy for the Palestinian Authority. In 2018, President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the U.S. embassy there. Consular services for Israelis and Palestinians were shifted to the embassy. In a downgrade of U.S. ties with Ramallah, the consulate’s Palestinian Affairs Unit — which fronted the State Department’s diplomatic engagement with the Palestinian Authority — was also merged into the embassy.

The Democratic party sees the consulate as a key step in rebooting U.S.-Palestinian Authority relations and Israeli officials are concerned that Vice President Kamala Harris may seek to reopen the consulate if she is elected President.

Critics say that operating a consulate for the PA in Jerusalem infringes on Israeli sovereignty, re-divides Jerusalem and rewards Palestinian Authority intransigence. Further complicating the issue is that the consulate building is located on Agron Road in downtown Jerusalem, in the western half of the city.

Numerous countries already maintain consulates and diplomatic missions in Ramallah.

Most countries do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv. Only five countries — US, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, and Papua New Guinea — currently operate embassies in Jerusalem.

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