US to reopen Jerusalem consulate and upgrade Palestinian ties

US secretary of state Antony Blinken listens during a joint statement with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Alex Brandon/AP)

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.