US downgrades Palestinian mission into Israel embassy

The US has downgraded its main diplomatic mission to the Palestinians, placing it under the authority of the US embassy to Israel.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said yesterday the ­consulate-general, a separate ­office that handled dealings with the Palestinians, would be replaced by a new Palestinian ­Affairs Unit inside the new US embassy in Jerusalem.

The move will make the US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, who is reviled by Palestinians over his support for ­Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the main interlocutor with the Palestinian leadership.

The change, quickly condemned by the Palestinians, follows a series of setbacks for them at the hands of Donald Trump, who has turned US policy sharply towards Israel.

Pro-Israel advocates hailed the decision, saying it confirmed that the US recognised the whole of Jerusalem as part of Israel.

“This decision is driven by our global efforts to improve the ­efficiency and effectiveness of our operations. It does not signal a change of US policy,” Mr Pompeo said. He said the US “continues to take no position” on how any peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians would take shape.

The Palestinian leadership rejected the Pompeo ­“efficiency” explanation. The decision has “a lot to do with pleasing an ideological US team that is willing to disband the foundations of American foreign policy, and of the international system, in order to reward Israeli violations and crimes,” Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said.

Read the article in The Australian (AFP).