Israel: Palestinians shouldn’t be in Old City, but will police their presence

Israel has doubled down on its assertions that the Palestinians should leave east Jerusalem to Israel, saying the Palestinians need not be an international presence in the city’s Old City.

Israel’s Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and the Home Front Command were among those protesting an idea floated last week by U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo to establish a post in the Old City for Palestinians and U.S. diplomats – who would presumably enter with Israeli IDs.

In tweets from the Home Front Command account, citing instructions from Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Jerusalem’s Defense Minister, said the ministry would “not allow” the Palestinians to create a U.S. Consulate in the Old City in “any form.” “The regulations and rules will not be relaxed in any way for the Palestinians in Jerusalem,” the tweet said.

In a statement, the Israeli ministry called for the “full recognition of the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria (West Bank),” suggesting the Palestinians don’t have a right to hold territory in the historic city.

Should the Palestinians seize the potential opportunity to establish a consulate in the Old City, Israel would consider the move an aggression and bring a campaign against the U.S. Israel’s relations with the U.S. are strained over President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and the alleged failure of the peace process by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The U.S. said on Monday that it did not intend to close the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington. The State Department said in a statement that Washington was “examining options for the way forward.”

On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Pompeo not to create a diplomatic office in the Old City. He did not mention the Palestinians by name, but the White House has said its ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, has floated the idea to some Israeli government officials.

“Pompeo should not create the UN inside the Old City,” Netanyahu said. “There is no room there.”

— Amir Tibon