As U.S. Jerusalem Consulate Shuts, Pro-Israel Envoy Takes On Palestinian Relations
The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem long served as a key diplomatic line to the Palestinian Authority. Now the U.S. is downgrading the mission and merging it with the Embassy to Israel.
When the United States closes its Jerusalem Consulate on Monday, it will not only be winding down a 175-year diplomatic mission. The move also represents another major downgrade of the Trump administration's relations with the Palestinians.
The Consulate General in Jerusalem is the U.S. government's de facto representative office to the Palestinian Authority. The diplomatic mission, first established in 1844 and housed in a historical stone estate in downtown Jerusalem, will be downgraded to a Palestinian Affairs Unit and will merge with the new U.S. Embassy to Israel.
Consul General Karen Sasahara, who has served as an unofficial ambassador to the Palestinians, is leaving
