Marco Rubio Orders State Department to Close Office of Palestinian Affairs

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered the Department of State to close the Office of Palestinian Affairs and merge it with the United States Embassy in Jerusalem, according to several reports. 

Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson with the Department of State, confirmed during a hearing that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee would be taking “the steps necessary to implement the merger over the coming weeks,” according to American media.

“This decision will restore the first Trump term framework of a unified US diplomatic mission in Israel’s capital that reports to the US ambassador to Israel,” Bruce said. 

“Ambassador (Mike) Huckabee will take the steps necessary to implement the merger over the coming weeks.” Bruce added that the move to close the Office of Palestinian Affairs (OPA) was “very similar to what’s happening here with the bureaus” and explained that “it is making sure that the issues that are important are all working together right” and “not segmented.”

“It really is actually very similar to what’s happening here with the bureaus, with our reorganization,” Bruce said. “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.” (BB/VFI News)