Palestinian diplomats lose autonomy and are now subordinate to Israeli representatives, after change announced by the US State Department
The US State Department announced on Tuesday that it is “integrating” its Palestinian Affairs Office (OPA) to the American Embassy in Israel, a movement that signals an expected reduction in the level of relations with Palestinians.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio decided to end the OPA independent status, turning him into a department inside the embassy.
Bruce stressed that the decision “does not reflect any change in reach or commitment to the people of West Bank or Gaza.”
For months, rumors about the end of the Oops by the Trump administration circulated among diplomats. The Trump administration is also working to eliminate the position of US Security Coordinator for occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The security coordinator office is little known, but represents the main public link of US defense engagement with Palestinian Authority Security services (AP).
The absorption of the OPA by the US Embassy in Israel indicates a new relegation in US recognition to the Palestinian Authority and the limited interest of the Trump administration in the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Diplomats who worked in the OPA had some independence from the US diplomatic mission in Israel. They could send reports directly to Washington and other embassies without the approval of senior employees responsible for Israeli affairs.
This distinction will now disappear, and senior diplomats designated for Israel will supervise relations related to Palestinian Authority and Palestinian questions.
The OPA already operated without a senior leader. Hans Wechsel, who headed the office, resigned in March, and the Trump administration did not appoint a replacement. Career officer Lourdes Lamela was the most graduated employee on site.
For decades, the US have maintained its embassy in Israel in Tel Aviv and a consulate in Jerusalem dedicated to Palestinian affairs. This separation existed because the US did not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Israel conquered East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and annexed it. The Trump government, in a blow to the Palestinians, acknowledged Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and transferred the embassy there, closing the consulate – although diplomats continued working in the 19th century historic building.
Mike Huckabe, the new US ambassador in Israel, has publicly defended the expansion of Israeli settlements in the busy West Bank and said that “there is nothing like a Palestinian.”
With information from Middle East Eye*
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/05/07/eua-integram-escritorio-palestino-a-embaixada-em-israel/
