Closure of Direct U.S. Communication with Palestinian Affairs in Jerusalem

Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador stationed in Israel, intends to terminate the direct communication line between American diplomats in Jerusalem focused on Palestinian matters and U.S. agencies based in Washington.

This decision affects an office that, in recent times, facilitated a direct connection to the U.S. capital, symbolizing America's recognition of Palestinian matters as significant and distinguishing the West Bank and Gaza, areas under Israeli occupation, from Israel itself.

Confidential U.S. sources have relayed that Ambassador Huckabee chose to dismantle this dedicated channel, marking the end of the independent function of the Palestinian Affairs Office at the embassy. This office previously communicated directly with U.S. foreign policy and national security bodies via unsupervised cables.

Housed in the previous consulate building in Jerusalem, not in the main embassy, this office played a key role in liaising with high-ranking Palestinian leaders and provided insights on Palestinian issues.

Key Decisions Following Ambassador Arrival

This restructuring is one of the noteworthy choices made by Huckabee after his inauguration as ambassador in April.

Lourdes Lamela, the interim chief of the Palestinian Affairs Office, was recently briefed about Huckabee's decision, which came after he consulted with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Upon inquiry, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce announced in an afternoon press session that Rubio aimed to fully integrate the Palestinian Affairs office duties within the embassy operations. The merge is set to be supervised by Huckabee in the coming weeks.