Rep. Zeldin Statement on Biden Admin's New Office of Palestinian Affairs in Jerusalem

Statement

Today, Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus and one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress, issued the following statement in response the Biden Administration's creation of an Office of Palestinian Affairs in Jerusalem, which will not report to the U.S. Ambassador to Israel:

"Having a separate U.S. diplomatic mission to the Palestinians in Jerusalem violates the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which is federal law, and was reaffirmed in recent years with overwhelming bipartisan support. Palestinian Authority leadership has made it abundantly clear that their push for this action is for the purpose of dividing Jerusalem, which the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 was crafted to specifically prevent. This law states that Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of Israel and remain undivided. Furthermore, the United States unilaterally making this concession to the Palestinian Authority in exchange for no concessions in return has been proven to be a failed policy time and again."

On November 1, 2021, Congressman Zeldin was joined by 199 of his House Republican colleagues in a letter to President Biden opposing the Administration's proposal to reopen the consulate general in Jerusalem and provide separate diplomatic outreach to the Palestinians.

At a November 3, 2021 House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Congressman Zeldin pressed U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Brian P. McKeon about the Biden 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. Watch here.

On November 17, 2021, Congressman Zeldin joined more than 100 House Republicans in introducing the Upholding the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Law Act of 2021 to prohibit the use of funds for any diplomatic facility in Jerusalem other than the United States Embassy to Israel.

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