The Trump administration is announcing Thursday that it plans to merge its consulate general in Jerusalem with the U.S. embassy in Israel into a single mission. The consulate has been unusual in that it operates as the de facto American representative to the Palestinian Authority. This responsibility will now belong to a unit within the U.S. embassy, overseen by the ambassador to Israel. The position of the consul general in Jerusalem, which has been independent of the ambassador, will be eliminated.
The merger is intended to “achieve significant efficiencies and increase our effectiveness” of the American mission, according to a statement from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “We will continue to conduct a full range of reporting, outreach, and programming in the West Bank and Gaza as well as with Palestinians in Jerusalem through a new Palestinian Affairs Unit inside U.S. Embassy Jerusalem,” said Pompeo. That unit, the secretary added, will continue to operate out of the building that currently houses the consulate.
The administration has been considering the idea of closing the consulate general for several months, CBS first reported in June.
The announcement comes after the May 14 opening of the new embassy in Jerusalem, which had been required by U.S. law for nearly 20 years. In December of last year, President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Both moves were met with protests from Palestinians, some of which turned violent. Shortly after Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, President Mahmoud Abbas announced the Palestinian Authority would not be engaging in any further peace talks with Israel involving the United States.
Pompeo says Thursday’s merger announcement “does not signal a change of U.S. policy on Jerusalem, the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip” and emphasized that the United States “continues to take no position on final status issues, including boundaries or borders.”
A senior State Department official stressed the decision is an administrative one designed to improve efficiency in operations. The official said it should not be construed as a rejection of the possibility of renewing peace talks with the Palestinian Authority.
Asked if the U.S. government is anticipating security concerns in either Jerusalem or in the Palestinian controlled areas, the senior State official said there was no “imminent or particular threat” but that the safety of Americans abroad is the highest priority.
