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Experience with the US consulate

Reader comment on item: A Consulate in Jerusalem

Submitted by William Cantor, MD (United States), Jan 19, 2006 at 13:20

Five years ago on a family trip to celebrate our oldest grandsons bar mitzvah, my wife's pocketbook with all of her records, passport and cards were stole from under our noses in the lobby of the Carlton Hotel in TelAviv, just down the street from our embassy. It was Friday at 2 PM. on July 1. There was no answer to our calls, no emergency response and knowing that the embassy would probably be closed for Shabat, the Sabbath and the 4th of July, we resumed our trip to the North and ultimately to Jerusalem. There the consulate advised us that to obtain a new passport we would have to go to the East Jerusalem Consulate. Your description is accurate. Fortunately, this was before the recent Intifada.

Every congress and every president has reached for Jewish votes by swearing to move the embassy to Jerusalem. The Jewish part of Jerusalem must have the facilities that are relegated to the Arab side by our (presumably) still proArab State Department.

Having recently been in Jerusalem, I can tell you that security afforded our West Jerusalem consulate is formidable, and that's on the friendly side!
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Reader comments (14) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
The first US Consul in Jerusalem was a convert to Judaism. The consulate is embarrassed about that. [59 words]Joshua FoxMar 7, 2013 03:17204085
1President Obama could have changed this but he did not. [37 words]Phil GreendMar 3, 2013 23:28204014
5American visiting US Jerusalem consulate: "I felt like an interloper, not an American citizen..." [152 words]AaronOct 3, 2008 13:38139492
1But of course! [69 words]ShishirOct 5, 2008 04:05139492
how can we protest this? [78 words]Oren Ben-BassatMar 18, 2008 05:55122916
Further obnoxiousness [139 words]Jonathan GoldbergJun 7, 2006 08:4547229
An explanation, Jonathan [177 words]Tito CohenJul 10, 2006 17:3847229
1Add on to the story [153 words]Jerusalem inhabitantJan 20, 2006 08:0932049
1Experience with the US consulate [191 words]William Cantor, MDJan 19, 2006 13:2032002
1More Proof of American Politician's Lack of Will [92 words]Stephen HancockJan 19, 2006 07:2831986
1Two American embassies [77 words]deegeeDec 31, 2005 04:5930834
1The US Consulate In Jerusalem [127 words]Adina KutnickiDec 30, 2005 12:0430789
US State Department Is Really the Anti-US State Department [59 words]Tom DundeeMar 8, 2013 13:2430789
2A prediction [52 words]Robert KosloverDec 28, 2005 18:3930712

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