Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed the State Department to dissolve the Palestinian Affairs Agency and integrate it with the US Embassy in Jerusalem, according to various reports.
State Department representative Tammy Bruce confirmed during a hearing that Israeli Ambassador Mike Huckabee will take the necessary steps to implement this merger in the coming weeks.
“This decision revives the framework from the Trump administration for a unified US diplomatic presence in Israel, such that it will report directly to the Israeli ambassador,” Bruce stated. “Ambassador Huckabee will commence the merger process in the next few weeks.”
Bruce also noted that the closure of the Palestinian Affairs Agency (OPA) resembles changes happening within the department itself. She emphasized the importance of collaboration among various critical issues, stating, “It’s not segmented.”
“This is actually more of a reorganization, similar to our internal efforts,” she added. “It’s about ensuring that all vital matters operate effectively without dividing the benefits of our embassy and foreign aid into multiple silos, aiming to present a united front.”
According to the Washington Free Beacon, the Palestinian Affairs Bureau had frequently drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers during the Biden administration for being seen as supportive of anti-Israel positions.
The office faced backlash from Republican lawmakers due to its perceived anti-Israel stance, especially during the early days of the Hamas attack on October 7, when it advised Israel to halt its retaliatory actions. Consequently, various measures were proposed to limit the agency’s functions, regularly highlighting its public diplomacy efforts.
The Biden administration established the OPA in June 2022, despite Israeli opposition, allowing it to function independently from the US embassy, which raised concerns about compliance with the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act.
US officials and unnamed Congressional sources have also confirmed this development.
In reaction to the announcement, several Republicans, including Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), have voiced their approval, calling it a significant decision by Rubio.
“The Biden administration’s Palestinian Issues Office undermines Israel and emboldens Hamas,” Tenney commented in a post. “Thank you @secrubio and @usambisrael for disbanding this entity and reaffirming the US Embassy in Jerusalem as the sole diplomatic mission as mandated by law.”
“The diplomatic relationship between the US and Israel should be managed solely by representatives appointed to the Jerusalem embassy, not by activists with ties to Palestinian authorities that support terrorism,” Cotton stated.
“The Biden administration violated federal laws to establish the OPA, only interfering with Israel during the recent Hamas attack,” wrote Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA). “This is the right move by President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and Ambassador Huckabee, reinforcing support for our allies and reversing the previous administration’s approach that weakened Israel.”
During Donald Trump’s first term, he marked the opening of the official US embassy in Jerusalem with a video address on May 14, 2018.
“Today, we’re realizing this vision of establishing an embassy in Jerusalem, a place of historic and sacred significance, well ahead of schedule,” Trump remarked at that time.
