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US SECRETARY OF state Antony Blinken has announced the reopening of the US Consulate General in Jerusalem — a move that restores ties with the Palestinians that had been downgraded by the Trump administration.
The consulate long served as an autonomous office in charge of diplomatic relations with the Palestinians, but Donald Trump downgraded its operations and placed them under the authority of his ambassador to Israel when he moved the embassy to Jerusalem.
The move infuriated the Palestinians, who view east Jerusalem as occupied territory and the capital of their future state.
Blinken announced the step today after a meeting in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. The US is trying to bolster Abbas in his rivalry with Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group and on the international stage.
“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,” he said.
Earlier today, Blinken had vowed to “rally international support” to aid Gaza following a devastating war there while keeping any assistance out of the hands of its militant Hamas rulers, as he began a regional tour to shore up last week’s ceasefire.
Blinken, who spoke after meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the US would work to address the “grave humanitarian situation” in the coastal territory but would also ensure that Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers do not benefit from reconstruction assistance.
The 11-day war between Israel and Hamas killed more than 250 people, mostly Palestinians, and caused widespread destruction in the impoverished coastal territory.
The truce that came into effect on Friday has so far held, but it did not address any of the underlying issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something Blinken acknowledged after meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We know that to prevent a return to violence, we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges. And that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild,” he said.
“The United States will work to rally international support around that effort while also making our own significant contributions.”
He added that the US would work with its partners “to ensure that Hamas does not benefit from the reconstruction assistance.”
Blinken will not be meeting with Hamas, which does not recognise Israel’s right to exist and which Israel and the US consider a terrorist organisation.
He addressed the larger conflict, saying: “We believe that Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely, to enjoy equal measures of freedom, opportunity and democracy, to be treated with dignity.”
But the top US diplomat faces the same obstacles that have stifled a wider peace process for more than a decade, including a hawkish Israeli leadership, Palestinian divisions and deeply rooted tensions surrounding Jerusalem and its holy sites.
The Biden administration had initially hoped to avoid being drawn into the intractable conflict and focus on other foreign policy priorities before the violence broke out.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, is fighting for his political life after a fourth inconclusive election in two years. He faces mounting criticism from Israelis who say he ended the offensive prematurely, without forcibly halting rocket attacks or dealing a heavier blow to Hamas.
Netanyahu hardly mentioned the Palestinians in his remarks, in which he warned of a “very powerful” response if Hamas breaks the ceasefire.
He spoke of “building economic growth” in the occupied West Bank, but said there will be no peace until the Palestinians recognise Israel as a “Jewish state”.
The Palestinians have long objected to that language, saying it undermines the rights of Israel’s own Palestinian minority.
The war was triggered by weeks of clashes in Jerusalem between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a site revered by Jews and Muslims that has seen several outbreaks of Israeli-Palestinian violence over the years.
The protests were directed at Israel’s policing of the area during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.
The truce remains tenuous since tensions are still high in Jerusalem and the fate of the Palestinian families is not yet resolved.
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For the past decade The Government have had “a plan” to do this that and the other. When do one or any of these plans come to fruition?
@Benny McHale: what are you talking about?
Our government is super consistent, european governments should learn a thing or two from ours to be hones.
Their self pay rises and tax plans are always on time – literally next day and always come to fruition.
“Under the Housing for All plan, the government intends to retrofit half a million homes over the next decade”
“The plan also aims to create 300,000 new homes by 2030.”
They have a plan?
@G Row.: the cost of materials is going to put a stop to alot of builds this year, and the ones that will be build will be made of terrible quality because the only materials available the last 6 months are the worst iv seen in 20 years and the most expensive by a long way.
@Raymond Kelly: Totally agree. Friend of mine getting astronomical quotes to build a modest size house.
What percentage of that 18,047 were build to rents and or bought by vulture funds??
@M Bowe: Regardless of who owns them (which is an issue, I agree), the main thing is that they’re occupied. As long as we keep building new houses, surely that will at least mean everyone has somewhere to live, unless the population keeps increasing. If there is enough supply, prices will start to fall from falsely high levels. Only supply will really fix this. Help to buy and the likes only throws more fuel on the fire.
@M Bowe: And how many are built by the government and how many by public.
@Thomas O’ Donnell: are they all occupied. Or are some being held from market to spur in demand and cost upward rents????
Construction should never have shut down during the lockdowns, it’s way too important.
The cost of building has gone through the roof , there’s surly a cheaper way to build accommodation, need to look abroad for ideas, we can’t be one of the dearest in the world the way things are going
@Gerard Heery: unfortunately the government let the construction sector down badly in the last recession which went on for nearly 10 years. It lost circa 66% of its workforce and turnover dropped from 37bn to 7bn (a normal turnover for a country our size would be circa 21bn). This was the time to build a children’s hospital, social homes, schools etc and keep those skills in ireland as well as keep young people entering construction via trades or professions. There is a dearth of labour and professional skills in the country now exacerbated by the covid restrictions when a lot of migrant Labour left for the uk or Europe where construction never stopped unlike here where we shut down twice. This migrant Labour won’t return, why should they when there is no security in the sector.
The other big cost increase in construction is due to the energy regulations and the green agenda carbon emissions driving up costs of fuel and ensuring every new home has mechanical ventilation and heating systems which cost a fortune to fit. What we are ending up with is smaller and smaller homes to try and be reasonably affordable.
Unfortunately the price of construction is going to keep increasing due to these and other restrictions in this country such as planning restrictions trying to force people to live in towns and cities which reduces the land available for building and drives up the price of this land.
We’re in mess and we better get used to it as it’s not going to change. We can but hope there have been lessons learned and the next time we have a recession that we won’t have an over bloated public sector wage bill and that the government will be able to borrow to keep construction going with public contracts.
@Anthony Guinnessy: I agree with much of this. I feel the government blamed construction workers for losing their jobs after the 2008 recession and the FG/Labour government decided that the solution was to create more office jobs and training courses where people were “upskilled” to work in office jobs, many of which never existed before computers were invented and have little obvious utility.
We have a situation now where construction labourers get paid more than a lot of people who do desk jobs but are still perceived as being lower class which deters young people from entering the profession and until this changes we’re going to continue having a housing crisis.
Anyone entering the carpenters of wet trades is not too bright , working in wet, cold ,heat ,no job security once you pass 50 you are unemployable , as then the body starts to hurt and they expect you to climb ladders and carry heavy loads into your late 60s. Get yer selves a nice pensionable job in the public or civil service.
@brendan o connell: not true. I’ve had many people north of 50 working for me and they are usually fit, healthy, strong people who do very well for themselves financially and enjoy working outdoors. Much better than riding a desk for life and being over weight, unfit, poor and depressed in your 50s. The trope you are peddling is the stigma that unfortunately does exist and turns a lot of people away from a career that would suit them more than any other.
@Anthony Guinnessy: reality is most tradesmen have permanent injuries from their work by 50.They go through financial down turns regularly. You see a lot more beer bellies on tradesmen and they often live poorly with terrible eating habits. They are an important part of the economy but so are those office jobs that create the demand for housing and offices.
I wouldn’t say tradesmen are dumb but they don’t tend to be into reading the classics.
@Anthony Guinnessy: I like your optimism but I am in this game over 40 years also had a number of apprentices trained now left the trade for more security and easier way of life ,I would never advise any you ng person to sign up for a life of hardship and insecurity.
Short of materials and of workers only think state can increase fast is printing of euros driveing up costs for every body. Maybe ask China build us lot flat pack houses
have your say