US Shuts Down Al-Quds Palestinian Affairs Office to Merge with Embassy

By Staff, Agencies

The United States has formally shut down its Office of Palestinian Affairs in occupied Al-Quds with plans to merge it with the US embassy, effectively terminating Washington’s direct diplomatic channel to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

The move reflects a return to Trump-era foreign policy frameworks that sharply downgraded US-Palestinian engagement.

According to an internal State Department memo obtained by The Guardian, the office officially ceased operations on Friday, May 16.

The abrupt closure comes as "Israel" intensifies its military assault in Gaza, which has already killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The Office of Palestinian Affairs had served as Washington’s main mechanism for handling Palestinian diplomatic matters since its establishment in 2022.

It employed nearly 100 staff, including two dozen Americans. Its closure means all matters relating to Palestinians will now be filtered through the US embassy in occupied Al-Quds,

The operation will be under the oversight of Ambassador Mike Huckabee, a figure who has previously denied the existence of Palestinian identity, stating, “There’s really no such thing as a Palestinian.”

While State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce insisted that the change “is not a reflection on any outreach or commitment to outreach to the people at the West Bank or to Gaza,” critics argue that the closure signals a final blow to Palestinian diplomatic presence in US foreign policy.