US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has released a statement in which he announced that the US will merge it's consulate in Jerusalem with the US Embassy.
The consulate in Jerusalem until now served as an unofficial embassy for the United States to the Palestinian Authority.
Secretary Pompeo assured that the US "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 the US Embassy (in) Jerusalem."
"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 on Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip." The secretary added