Palestinian affairs office will no longer have direct link to Washington as it is merged with US embassy in Israel

The Trump administration will merge the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs office with the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Tuesday.

The merger between the unit and the embassy means that the direct line of communication between Palestine and Washington will effectively end and Palestinian affairs will be overseen by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

The US used to have a consulate in occupied East Jerusalem and then in West Jerusalem – which handled US-Palestine relations and was separate from the US embassy in Tel Aviv. During Trump’s first term, he moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, sparking controversy and a backlash. He also closed the consulate dealing with Palestinian affairs and created a new unit, which was under the control of the US embassy.

Former president Joe Biden re-established the connection between Palestine and Washington in 2022.

The move will be seen as controversial at a time when relations between Israel and Palestine is at all-time low after 19 months of war.

However, Bruce said the decision is "not a reflection on any outreach, or commitment to outreach, to the people of the West Bank or to Gaza".