TEL AVIV, 25 May 2021, (TON):  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Tuesday that the US would reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem, a move that restores ties with Palestinians and ensures helping Israel to have foot hold in Jerusalem.  

Washington announced US $75m in development and economic assistance to Palestinians to win the minds with Palestinian leadership. 

The consulate long served as an autonomous office in charge of diplomatic relations with the Palestinians. But former US President Donald Trump downgraded its operations and placed them under the authority of his Ambassador to Israel when he moved the Embassy to Jerusalem. 

Secretary of State Blinken did not give a precise date for reopening the consulate. The announcement was made after Blinken's meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. The US is trying to widen the gap of rivalry between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Palestinian group, Hamas at an international level. 

In a statement Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “As I told the president, I’m here to underscore the commitment of the United States to rebuilding the relationship with the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people, a relationship built on mutual respect and also a shared conviction that Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve equal measures of security, freedom opportunity and dignity.”