US Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to scrap the Office of Palestinian Affairs (OPA) at the State Department, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
OPA was created during the Biden Administration to elevate America's relationship with the Palestinian Authority. According to the report, Rubio has instructed US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee to reintegrate OPA's diplomatic functions into the American embassy in Jerusalem.
As a Senator, Rubio criticized the establishment of OPA in 2022, warning that it would lead to a de-facto US consulate for the PA in Jerusalem despite America's acknowledgement that the holy city is Israel's capital.
"Let there be no misunderstanding: this unprecedented arrangement—to turn the Palestinian Affairs Unit into a ‘U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs’ that will no longer report to the U.S. Ambassador to Israel but instead report directly to the State Department in Washington, D.C., and to appoint a Special Envoy to the Palestinians—is an effort to open an unofficial and de facto U.S. consulate to the Palestinians in Jerusalem," Rubio wrote at the time.
OPA has been criticized for alleged anti-Israel bias since its creation.
Rubio will also get rid of the role of Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs, a position created for Hady Amr alongside the creation of OPA.