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A senior official in the US State Department has told senators that Israel’s permission is required for Washington to reopen a consulate in Jerusalem ostensibly to serve Palestinians.
US President Joe Biden has pledged to push ahead with the move, but the issue remains a sticking point with, and even among the ideologically diverse members of, the Israeli government and is also opposed by some in Congress. The consulate was shuttered in 2019 by former US president Donald Trump and its staff and operations were folded into the US Embassy that had been moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem a year earlier.
Important question from @SenatorHagerty: Does Israel have to agree before the US could open or reopen a consulate to the Palestinians in Jerusalem?
“That’s my understanding—that we’d need to get the consent of the host government to open any diplomatic facility.” -DepSec McKeon pic.twitter.com/lIoQB3eV9K
— AIPAC (@AIPAC) October 28, 2021
US officials maintain that reopening the consulate would consititute a return to the status quo and is an integral part of Biden’s vow to improve relations with the Palestinians. However, many of the heavy hitters in Israel’s governing but fragile coalition are vehemently opposed to the US plan, viewing it as a challenge to the Jewish state’s sovereignty over its capital city.
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Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has urged families from the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah to reject a compromise that would allow them to remain in their homes for 15 years. Earlier this month, Israel’s High Court of Justice presented a proposal to four Palestinian families facing possible eviction from their homes, which were owned by Jews before the 1948 war in which Jordan took control of the West Bank.
According to the proposed compromise, while the families remain in their homes the issue of land ownership could be adjudicated but, in the interim, they would be recognized as protected tenants and the Jewish Nahalat Shimon Company as owner of the properties. The families would also agree to pay legal and court fees to the organization.
The court gave the two sides until November 2 to propose amendments to the compromise.
On Tuesday, Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar, reportedly received a phone call from the residents of Sheikh Jarrah, who briefed him on the latest developments in the dispute. The Hamas leader was quoted as saying: “…You do not need to deal with its offers, as it (Israel) is an illegal entity on our land.”
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Saudi Arabia has designated the Lebanon-based Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association a terrorist entity, due to the organization’s activities in support of Iranian proxy Hezbollah.
“The association works on managing funds for the terrorist organization [Hezbollah] and its financing, including support for military purposes,” a Saudi government-run news agency reported, quoting from a security statement, adding: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will continue to work to combat the terrorist activities of the terrorist organization [Hezbollah], and will coordinate with international partners to target the sources of financial support for the organization, whether they are individuals or entities.”
Hezbollah is labeled a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and numerous other Western countries.
Riyadh’s decision to enact “strict measures” against those connected with Hezbollah comes as the Jewish state this week outlawed six non-governmental organizations that act as front groups for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization.
While Israel’s move to protect citizens from acts of terrorism generated a slew of skewed coverage, exclusive HonestReporting data reveal that the latest Saudia Arabia/Hezbollah development was mentioned in a mere 56 articles and segments produced by news outlets worldwide.
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Israel and the European Union have finalized an agreement for the Jewish state to join the Horizon Europe scientific research program. Once signed, Israeli researchers and scientists will be able to collaborate on EU-funded projects and benefit from access to grants from the $110.8 billion budgeted over the next seven years for the EU’s key funding program.
“Israel joining the Horizon program places Israel as a central player in the largest and most important research & development program in the world,” Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said, adding: “Joining the Horizon program will bring high-quality jobs, technological advancement, new Israeli businesses and create economic and scientific opportunities.”
Israeli officials said they expect the program to contribute to scientific research, the high-tech industry and the economy, in general, while opening up opportunities for Israeli companies to break into European markets.
Israel-based projects were granted a total of $1.57 billion in funding within the framework of the EU’s previous Horizon 2020 program.
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More than 200 celebrities, including actors Mila Kunis, Neil Patrick Harris and Helen Mirren, signed an open letter opposing efforts to boycott an LGBTQ film festival in Tel Aviv.
The letter was released in response to calls from members of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement to boycott the Tel Aviv International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, also called TLVFest, an annual event that was founded in 2006. The film festival has been the target of numerous boycott efforts in recent years.
The anti-boycott petition was organized by Creative Community for Peace, a group of entertainment industry professionals that works to counter moves aimed at isolating the Jewish state.
“In Israel, movies have the unique power to bring together Jews, Arabs, and people of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds in collaboration under a shared love of the arts, working together towards the common goal of telling their stories, and building bridges of compassion and understanding,” the letter reads in part.
Other signees include actor Jeremy Piven, KISS frontman Gene Simmons and actress Emmanuelle Chriqui.
Recommended Reading
- Survey: Third of Jewish College Students Experience Antisemitism (Jewish News Syndicate and Israel Hayom)
- Why Hamas Fights (Clifford D. May, Foundation for Defense of Democracies)
- Tree of Life Rabbi: ‘We Can’t Let Evil Win, and It Won’t Go Away on Its Own’ (Danielle Ziri, Times of Israel)
- 3 Jewish Baseball Players Could Make or Break the 2021 World Series (Jacob Gurvis, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
- Israeli Firm’s Autonomous Tractors Are Transforming the Agriculture Industry (Simona Shemer, NoCamels)
