Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-NY), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus and one of only two Jewish Republicans in Congress, was joined by 199 of his House Republican colleagues in sending a letter to President Joe Biden opposing the Administration’s proposal to reopen the U.S. consulate general in Israel’s capital city of Jerusalem and provide separate diplomatic outreach to the Palestinians.
Congressman Zeldin, Leader McCarthy, Whip Scalise, Chair Stefanik, Lead Republican McCaul and Lead Republican Granger issued the following statement upon sending the letter to President Biden:
House Republicans have come together to express our strong opposition to the Biden Administration’s proposal to open a consulate general to the Palestinians in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem. Having a U.S. diplomatic mission to the Palestinians in Jerusalem would be inconsistent with the
Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 that became law, and was reaffirmed in recent years, with overwhelming bipartisan support. This law stated Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of Israel and remain undivided. However, the Biden Administration's shameful move would have the unconscionable effect of undermining the United States’
recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and signal support for dividing Jerusalem. Just recently, the Prime Minister of the
Palestinian Authority publicly stated that his reason for wanting this consulate opened is for the purpose of dividing Jerusalem.
Israel has also made clear its opposition to the consulate opening, with both the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister stating they are against a consulate being opened in Jerusalem. The Biden Administration must immediately stop pushing this misguided effort. Moreover, the Administration’s insistence is wrongly creating a rift between the United States and Israel, one of our closest and most important allies, and moves the region further away from peace.
Source: Rep. Zeldin, 199 House GOP Colleagues, Including McCarthy, Scalise, Stefanik, McCaul and Granger, Lead Letter to President Biden in Opposition to Administration’s Effort to Reopen U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem, Press Release, Congressman Lee Zeldin,
(November 1, 2021).
