Iran Press/ Middle East: "We think it's a bad idea," Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told a news conference when asked about the reopening. "Jerusalem is the sovereign capital of Israel and Israel alone, and therefore we don't think it's a good idea.
"We know that the (Biden) administration has a different way of looking at this, but since it is happening in Israel, we are sure they are listening to us very carefully."
Wasel Abu Youssef, a senior Palestine Liberation Organization official, told Reuters that the Israeli rejection of the consulate's opening was expected, adding: "They are trying to maintain the status quo and block any political solution".
Asked about Lapid's remarks, a US Embassy spokesperson said: "As Secretary Blinken announced in May, the United States will be moving forward with the process to reopen its consulate in Jerusalem. We do not have additional information to share at this time."
The spokesperson said the United States was not reversing its decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem nor its recognition of the city as Israel's capital.
Israel captured the city's east, along with the occupied West Bank and Gaza, in the 1967 Middle East war.
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