The United States will close its Office of Palestinian Affairs and merge it into its embassy in Jerusalem, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Tuesday.
“This decision will restore the first Trump term framework of a unified US diplomatic mission in Israel’s capital,” Bruce told reporters. She added that Ambassador Mike Huckabee would oversee the merger in the coming weeks.
Bruce stressed the move is not a reflection on any outreach or commitment to outreach to the people at the West Bank or to Gaza.
“It really is actually very similar to what’s happening here with the bureaus, with our reorganisation. It is making sure that the issues that are important are all working together right, are not segmented out so that the interests of the embassy – very, very much like the interests of our foreign aid and other actions – can work together in the Bureau as one entity,” she said.
The office previously provided Palestinians with a direct diplomatic channel to Washington, bypassing the US ambassador to Israel. Critics argue that its closure further erodes US credibility as an impartial mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The announcement follows Israel’s approval of plans to escalate its military campaign in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that civilians in northern Gaza would be pushed south “to protect them” amid continued fighting.
Last week, Trump said he told Netanyahu, “We’ve got to be good to Gaza.” But, so far, there has been no action to back up the rhetoric, with Israel’s complete blockade of Gaza entering its third month.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also stated that Israel intends to “finally conquer the Gaza Strip.” The war has so far left over 52,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Office of Palestinian Affairs was established during the first Trump administration after the closure of the US Consulate General in Jerusalem.
The consulate had allowed the Palestinian Authority to maintain a separate diplomatic channel to the US government.
Under Trump’s first ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, the consulate was shuttered. A vocal supporter of West Bank settlements, Friedman argued against a Palestinian state and served as the main US point of contact for the Palestinian territories.
Although the Biden administration had pledged to reopen the consulate, no such action was taken.
Rubio’s latest move effectively formalises the shift away from separate diplomatic engagement with Palestinians. Ambassador Huckabee, who once claimed “there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian,” will now oversee all Palestinian affairs under the embassy's structure.
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