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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat

US Ambassador Says Administration Will Reopen Consulate to Serve Palestinians Soon

US ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides (US Embassy)

The US ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, announced that the administration would reopen the consulate in Jerusalem soon to serve the Palestinians.

During a press meeting with Israeli television channels, Nides said that terrorism could not defeat Israel, asserting that killing people and violence will not lead to a positive result.

The ambassador rejected the idea that terrorism is limited to Palestinians and said extremist Jewish settlers attack the Palestinians.

He referred to the attack in Bnei Brak when the Arab policeman, Amir Khoury, and Jewish policemen attacked the perpetrator, saying it is the "essence of Israel."

Nides reiterated the position expressed by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken last Sunday regarding settler violence, saying there is no comparison when it comes to human life, and everyone agrees that settler violence is rejected.

He criticized the continuation of the Palestinian Authority (PA) for paying salaries of the families of martyrs and prisoners and considered it an encouragement to carry out terrorist operations.

When he was asked about the US consulate in Jerusalem to serve the residents of the occupied Palestinian territories, he explained that the administration wanted to open the consulate.

The former US administration closed the consulate and annexed it to the embassy in West Jerusalem. President Joe Biden pledged to reopen it in its headquarters, but it did not fulfill its promise due to the Israeli opposition.

Nides noted that Israel wouldn't be faced with any US restrictions if it wishes to act against Iran, whether or not a nuclear deal is signed between Tehran and world powers.

The ambassador did not describe the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization but said that Iran was a state that supports terrorism.

Israelis have their doubts about Nides' statements. He served as Deputy Secretary of State under President Barack Obama and had a significant role in persuading Congress to extend the loan to Israel worth $3.8 billion.

However, he angered Israeli officials when he said last month that he'd never visited an Israeli settlement in the West Bank and had no plans to do so.

Nides stressed that the Biden administration's support for the two-state solution stems from the fact that it will enhance Israel's strength, but this does not mean resuming the "peace process" soon.

"When it comes to Israel, I have no ideology. All I care about is that Israel will remain a strong, democratic, and Jewish state."

"My support for a two-state solution — a solution that President Biden, of course, supports — my support for the well-being of the Palestinian people, all of this stems from the belief that Israel will be strengthened this way," Nides said.

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