The U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs (OPA), formerly the Palestinian Affairs Unit (PAU), was a division within the
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...
that is charged with contacts with the
Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...
and with issues related to the Palestinians in the
West Bank
The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
and the
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...
. The final acting chief of the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs was Lourdes Lamela.
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History
On March 4, 2019, the US Consulate General in Jerusalem was closed down as part of President Trump's policy of recognizing Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
as Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
's capital. Palestinian affairs were transferred to the responsibility of the US Embassy in Jerusalem and placed under the newly created Palestinian Affairs Unit (PAU).
Following the US Presidential elections of 2020, US policy towards the Palestinian Authority shifted once more. On June 9, 2022, as US President Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
was interested in removing relations with the Palestinian Authority from the schedule of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, he created the Office of Palestinian Affairs (OPA) within the Department of State. The office itself is located within the same building as the Embassy in Jerusalem, but reports to the Department of State in Washington independently.
The Trump administration shut down the office on March 16, 2025 and moved the handling of Palestinian affairs to the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee
Michael Dale Huckabee (, born August 24, 1955) is an American diplomat, political commentator, Baptist minister, and politician serving as the 29th United States Ambassador to Israel, United States ambassador to Israel since 2025. A member of ...
.US closes Office of Palestinian Affairs, dedicated channel to Washington
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Chiefs
See also
* Palestine–United States relations
Political relations between Palestine and the United States have been complex and strained since the 1960s. While the U.S. does not recognize the State of Palestine, it recognizes the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the legitimate r ...
* Consulate General of the United States, Jerusalem
The Consulate General of the United States in Jerusalem was a diplomatic mission of the United States of America that provided consular services to Palestinian residents in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. It was not accredited to any govern ...
References
External links
Office of Palestinian Affairs official website
{{Authority control
2019 establishments in Palestine
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
Palestine–United States relations