US closes Office of Palestinian Affairs, dedicated channel to Washington

Closure reflects Trump's downgrading of US-Palestinian relations, which started with closure of Jerusalem consulate

The United States has officially closed its Office of Palestinian Affairs in Jerusalem, according to an internal state department memo seen by the Guardian, in effect eliminating the Palestinians' dedicated diplomatic channel to Washington.

The closure, which took effect on Friday, follows through on the secretary of state Marco Rubio's announcement earlier this month that the office would be merged into the US embassy in Jerusalem.