Under Israeli pressure, the US administration has decided to delay the reopening of its consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem for almost two more years, political sources in Tel Aviv revealed Wednesday.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennet convinced Washington that opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is using the issue to portray the government as weak and unable to stand up to the (President Joe) Biden administration.
Israeli officials believe the Biden administration understands the complexity of the situation and agreed to the request and will refrain from pressing it until Foreign Minister Yair Lapid assumes the premier’s post.
If Bennett’s government succeeds during this period, Netanyahu’s reign in politics will most probably end by convicting him on corruption charges, paving the way for Lapid’s government to be stable.
But in return, the administration figured that implementing several Palestinian requests, which do not require approval by Israel or the Congress, would compensate for its decision, the sources added.
These include increasing financial support to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and accelerating the reopening of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) official headquarters in Washington.
It also perhaps considers upgrading the headquarters to a diplomatic mission with the status of a state representative and granting diplomatic immunity to Palestinians who work in it to ensure that Jewish parties do not file lawsuits against them under the pretext of practicing terrorism.
The administration is also considering compensating the Palestinians by issuing new statements that support their public support for the two-state solution and US resolutions in that regard.
According to the sources, Washington is currently waiting to reach understandings with the PA and Israel to find an acceptable settlement on the issue of paying salaries to the families of Palestinian martyrs and prisoners in Israeli jails.
If it finds a solution, it will raise the financial support by more than 50%, sources noted.
The Biden administration hopes to repair relations with the Palestinians after a sharp deterioration under former president Donald Trump, who closed the PLO’s Washington office in 2018 and cut millions of dollars in aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip
