Protesting the plan to open a new consulate
Protesting the plan to open a new consulateSovereignty Movement

As part of the protest against opening an American consulate for the Palestinian Authority Arabs in Jerusalem, dozens of lovers of the Land of Israel and Jerusalem came for the third time in a row to a protest vigil in front of the American ambassador’s house, where the American consulate’s activities took place until the Embassy was moved to Jerusalem.

During the protest, demonstrators emphasized that, ”Opening a consulate in Jerusalem is against the law,” and said that the US plan would be “thrusting a knife into the heart of the Jewish People.”

Over 20 extra-parliamentary organizations from Israel and the United States are behind the protest.

Simultaneously, with the event that took place in Jerusalem at 17:00 (Israel time), a vigil was also held in New York, initiated by AFSI and with the participation of ZOA.

Former US Vice President Mike Pence’s remarks from recent days on the subject were translated and broadcast in front of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

Among his remarks, Pence said: “The Biden administration is planning to open a consulate in Jerusalem for the Palestinian people; this is an unlawful step and it’s time for Congress to act to deny President Biden from opening a consulate in Jerusalem where the American embassy stands.”

One of the speakers, who also served as a political advisor and ambassador under fformer Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as former CEO of the Jerusalem Office, Ran Yishai, said before the event: “It is inconceivable that the American administration would act in Jerusalem against United States law and against Israeli law – in both countries, there is a law stating that Jerusalem is the united capital of Israel and it is impossible that the capital city of one state would have a mission for another entity.”

Brig. General (res.) Amir Avivi, founder of the Bithonistim, quoted former Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion's statement that, “If the Land has a soul – then, Jerusalem is the soul of the Land of Israel.”

Avivi added, “Jerusalem is the essence of the entire struggle for sovereignty in the Land of Israel and it is not by chance that the attempt to undermine our national rights in the heart of our Land is focused on the battle for the future of Jerusalem.”

“A Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem would mean the long-range return to the reality of the partition plan. Uprooting Jerusalem from Israel and turning it into a city under international sovereignty, the step that the administration wants to promote, would bring about a tsunami of foreign consulates, crushing the roots from which the Jewish People draws its connection to the Land of Israel. Against this threat, Israel’s officers and commanders together with the entire People of Israel, will stand strong. We will not allow this plan to be realized.”

Also among the speakers were Chagit Moshe, Dep. Mayor of Jerusalem and Yehuda Froidiger, member of the Jerusalem City Council.

One of the participants was Aryeh Hess, the planner of “Greater Jerusalem,” who said: “Opening an American consulate in this building, or in any other building in Jerusalem, is like thrusting a knife into the heart of the Jewish People.”

Demonstrators protest against opening new consulate
Demonstrators protest against opening new consulateSovereignty Movement

Protesting the new consulate
Protesting the new consulateSovereignty Movement
Chagit Moshe speaks at the protest
Chagit Moshe speaks at the protestSovereignty Movement