US Consulate in Jerusalem prepares to merge with embassy
(VOVWORLD) - The US Department of State announced on Monday that the US is planning to merge its consulate general in Jerusalem with an embassy in the city, effectively stripping Palestinians of American consular services.
The US consulate general in Jerusalem on October 18, 2018. (Photo: AFP/ VNA)
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The merger was announced last October, when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that it was meant to improve “efficiency and effectiveness” and did not constitute a change in Washington’s policy.
The US consulate in Jerusalem has been acting independently as a de facto embassy to the Palestinians since the Oslo accords of the 1990s. Its closure now would mean that Palestinian affairs would fall under the discretion of US ambassador to Israel David Friedman inside the embassy building.