As Israel wages battles on the political, security and public diplomacy fronts, an absurd situation continues in Jerusalem that’s drawing growing criticism: a string of foreign consulates serving the ‘Palestinian’ Authority—not the State of Israel—operate freely from Israel’s eternal capital. Critics point out that these diplomatic missions don’t sit in Ramallah, the seat of the ‘Palestinian’ Authority’s terror hub, but rather in Jerusalem.
At a protest held against the consulates, demonstrators argued that some of the European foreign missions don’t just provide diplomatic services—they actively promote positions seen as hostile to Israel. Knesset member Ariel Kallner addressed the issue and called for reviewing whether these frameworks should continue operating in their current form.
According to protesters, the French consulate serving the ‘Palestinian’ Authority was involved in renovating St. Joseph Hospital in Jerusalem using Qatari funding. Critics of the move argue it raises questions about the scope of activity permitted to the diplomatic mission and the involvement of another country in the compound. According to them, the move gave Qatar—a country Israel has previously defined as supporting terrorism—a foothold in the heart of Jerusalem, through a project carried out under the auspices of a consulate operating for the ‘Palestinian’ Authority.
The criticism intensifies given the countries running the consulates. One prominent example is Turkey, whose president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan frequently attacks Israel on the international stage. Alongside Turkey, Spain is also mentioned—a country that has taken a series of harsh steps against Israel in recent years, including a weapons embargo, sanctions against Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, and restrictions on the transit of combat equipment and military gear through its territory.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has also attacked Israel’s war policy, saying Israel won’t defeat terrorism through “indiscriminate attacks on the civilian population.” Despite this, the Spanish consulate serving the ‘Palestinian’ Authority continues operating from the heart of Jerusalem.
Yair Gabai, a former Jerusalem city council member, criticized the Spanish consulate’s activities and claimed that at one point a gate was installed near the compound that blocked part of the public space. According to him, local residents discovered that part of the street had been unilaterally closed, and only after appeals and municipal intervention was the gate dismantled and removed.
The debate surrounding these consulates has been going on for years, but critics of the situation explain that the absurdity stands out more than ever right now: foreign missions whose job is to assist the ‘Palestinian’ Authority enjoy a permanent presence in Jerusalem, while the terror organization’s seat is in Ramallah. For them, the central question remains open—how does the State of Israel continue to allow this unusual diplomatic arrangement to exist in the heart of its capital?
Meanwhile, the “Our Land” movement also protested outside the British consulate in the city. During the event, participants read the Balfour Declaration alongside Israeli and British flags, aiming to recall the historic support Britain gave to the Zionist movement and the establishment of the state. The protest concluded with singing “Hatikvah” and “Am Yisrael Chai.” Movement chairman Yonatan Achiya attacked London’s policy and called on the government to take harsh steps against the British mission: “I’m calling on the government of Israel to wake up—the sanctions against us are in effect sanctions against the entire government of Israel.” According to him, given the steps Britain is taking against Israeli entities, the government should consider imposing sanctions against British diplomats operating in Jerusalem.