Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana, considered the minister with the closest ties to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, called on lawmakers Monday not to support a vote of no-confidence submitted by the opposition over US intentions to reopen the Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem.
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Addressing the Knesset plenum, the Yamina lawmaker tied the focus on the issue to political moves by the opposition. He said, "We have the impression the focus on the subject of late stems largely from the primaries in the Likud and people's desire to make this an issue. It's a shame. The media noise at this time only harms the Israeli interest."
Kahana said Israel opposed the reopening of the diplomatic mission but was relaying this opposition to the Americans behind closed doors and avoiding public clashes.
"In July 1980, Jerusalem was defined as the State of Israel's capital in Basic Law: Jerusalem. In December 2017, the previous American administration recognized Jerusalem as the State of Israel's capital, recognition that was also adopted by the current administration."
He continued: "Therefore, the position of the prime minister and the foreign minister [Yair Lapid] is that there is no place for an American consulate that provides services to the Palestinians in Jerusalem. The situation in which, for decades, including under the previous Prime Minister [Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu], such a consulate operated in the city and conducted extensive diplomatic activity with the Palestinians from there is an anomaly that must not be repeated. This position was expressed to the Americans a number of times. The nature of our relationship with the Americans is such that we prefer to conduct disagreements between us in a quiet and discreet manner," he concluded.
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