The ban on the Spanish Consulate in Jerusalem from receiving Palestinians comes into force
The order from the Israeli Foreign Ministry to the Spanish Consulate in Jerusalem not to provide services to Palestinians residing in the occupied West Bank began this Saturday, on a day where the office It has only been open for two hours due to the European elections.
The streets adjacent to the Consulate, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem (Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since the 1967 war) They were practically empty, at the same time that the office workers stated that they would only serve voters registered for the European elections.
The diplomatic tension between Spain and Israel worsened yesterday, Friday, when the Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, threatened to close the Spanish Consulate in Jerusalem if he fails to comply with his order not to serve Palestinians in the West Bank.
The order, in retaliation for the Spanish recognition of the Palestinian State, was criticized yesterday by the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, who confirmed the delivery of “a first verbal note” to the Government of Israel to reject “‘completely any limitations’ imposed on the Consulate.
Who is harmed by the ban?
The measure does not affect Spanish citizens, nor Palestinians residing in East Jerusalem, since the entire city is under Israeli administration since 1980, when Israel’s Knesset (Parliament) approved the unilateral annexation of the eastern part. Only citizens residing in the territories administered by the Palestinian National Authority (i.e. in the occupied West Bank) will be restricted from accessing consular services, such as visa applications.
Last year, the office launched about 7,000 visas to residents of the West Bank, 1,200 to Gazans and around 2,500 to residents of Jerusalem, both Palestinians and Jews. The Spanish Consulate in Jerusalem has a special status as it is a historical office, established before the creation of the State of Israel (specifically, it opened its doors in 1853).
The consular offices of France, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Türkiye, United Kingdom and Sweden They also have this status, supported by UN resolution 181 (the 1947 Palestine partition plan), which grants special international status to the city of Jerusalem until the creation of the two States.
While the plan was never implemented, the international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the city, which it claims as its indivisible capital. Additionally, consular operations are protected by the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which Israel signed but never ratified. The UN, of which Israel is a part, is part of the agreement. The office operates as an embassy for the Palestinians of the West Bank, and exercises the diplomatic representation of Spain before the Palestinian National Authority.
