Foreign Minister Lapid says America's plan to reopen East Jerusalem consulate is a 'bad idea'

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said the United States' plan to reopen an American consulate building in East Jerusalem, primarily used by Palestinians, is a "bad idea."

Reopening “will send the wrong message, not only to the region, not only to the Palestinians, but also to other countries, and we don’t want this to happen,” he said.

“And besides, we have an interesting, yet delicate structure of our government and we think this might destabilize this government and I don’t think the American administration wants this to happen,” Lapid said.

U.S. President Joe Biden apparently informed Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Washington last week that he plans to reopen the consulate that was closed by former President Donald Trump in 2019.

The Biden administration announced its intention to reopen in May, but agreed to wait until Israel passes a budget in November.