US 'Middle East Diplomacy' Restoration in Full Swing... Announcement to Reopen 'Jerusalem Consulate' Closed During Trump Era (Comprehensive)

"Reestablishing Palestine-US Relations" Reconstruction Aid Promise
Israel Ambassador Expected to Appoint Former Deputy Minister Thomas Naize

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The United States announced that it will reopen its consulate in Jerusalem, which was closed during the Donald Trump administration in 2018, to elevate relations with Palestine once again. The ambassador to Israel, who has not yet been appointed since the launch of the Joe Biden administration, is also expected to be appointed soon. It is analyzed that the Joe Biden administration, which pursued a Middle East exit strategy, is now actively restoring Middle East diplomacy in light of the recent Israel-Palestine armed conflict.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press on the 25th (local time), U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a press conference after meeting with Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority (PA), in Ramallah in the West Bank. He said, "The goal is to reopen the consulate in Jerusalem to elevate relations with Palestine," and emphasized, "As I told President Abbas, I came here to reaffirm the United States' commitment to reestablish relations with the Palestinian Authority and its people."

The Jerusalem consulate was a major diplomatic channel between the United States and Palestine, but it was downgraded under the embassy in Israel when the U.S. embassy was moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during the Trump administration in 2018, and it has remained closed since then. The U.S. political media outlet Politico analyzed, "The restoration of the Jerusalem consulate is a symbolic move by the Biden administration to take a more active role in the Palestinian conflict."

Along with strengthening diplomatic channels with Palestine, there is also speculation that the ambassador to Israel, who has not been appointed until now, will soon be appointed. U.S. NBC News reported on the same day, citing senior U.S. government sources, that "Thomas Nides, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, is expected to be appointed as ambassador to Israel." Thomas Nides, a member of a prominent Jewish banking family on Wall Street, served as Deputy Secretary of State during the Barack Obama administration in 2010. NBC News reported that Secretary Blinken, who worked with him during the Obama administration, strongly recommended him.

Meanwhile, Secretary Blinken stated, "We have decided to request $75 million (approximately 84.2 billion KRW) in development economic aid from Congress for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip," adding, "In addition, $5.5 million in emergency disaster relief funds and $32 million through UN agencies assisting Palestinian refugees will also be provided."

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