In a bold move that’s already winning praise across the conservative base, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered the closure of the Office of Palestinian Affairs (OPA), a controversial Biden-era division that many Republicans say consistently worked against Israel’s interests. The decision, now being carried out by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, marks a return to President Donald Trump’s original vision of a unified diplomatic presence in Jerusalem.
During a recent hearing, Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed that steps are underway to shut down the OPA and merge its operations into the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. That embassy was officially opened during Trump’s first term in 2018, a historic move that recognized Jerusalem as the rightful capital of Israel.
“This decision will restore the first Trump term framework of a unified U.S. diplomatic mission in Israel’s capital that reports to the U.S. ambassador to Israel,” Bruce said. “Ambassador (Mike) Huckabee will take the steps necessary to implement the merger over the coming weeks.”
Bruce went on to explain that this change is part of a broader effort to cut unnecessary bureaucratic divisions and ensure U.S. foreign policy runs as a single, united front—especially in a region as strategically sensitive as the Middle East.
“It really is actually very similar to what’s happening here with the bureaus, with our reorganization,” she added. “It is making sure that the issues that are important are all working together right, are not segmented out so that the interests of the embassy—very, very much like the interests of our foreign aid and other actions—can work together in the Bureau as one entity.”
The Office of Palestinian Affairs was set up in June 2022 under the Biden administration, with a mission to act independently from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. But according to reports from the Washington Free Beacon, the office quickly raised red flags among Republican lawmakers. Critics accused it of being anti-Israel and of working around long-standing U.S. law—specifically the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act, which mandates that only one U.S. embassy operate in Israel’s capital.
One of the most disturbing moments came on October 7, the day Hamas launched its brutal terror attack against Israeli civilians. Instead of standing with Israel, the OPA urged restraint from the Jewish state and cautioned against retaliation—comments that many saw as tone-deaf at best, and downright dangerous at worst.
Since then, lawmakers have introduced legislation to tighten oversight of the office, requiring it to report regularly on its public diplomacy and advocacy efforts.
Rubio’s decision to dismantle the office and restore unity to America’s diplomatic presence in Israel is being hailed by leading GOP voices as a necessary course correction.
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) was one of the first to react, writing on X (formerly Twitter):
“The Biden administration’s Office of Palestinian Affairs undermined Israel & emboldened Hamas. Thank you, @SecRubio & @USAmbIsrael, for dissolving this entity & reaffirming the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem as the sole diplomatic mission in Jerusalem as required by law.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) echoed those sentiments, saying:
“The U.S.-Israeli relationship should be handled exclusively by the appointed representatives at our Embassy in Jerusalem, not by anti-Israel activists working with the terrorist-supporting Palestinian Authority.”
Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) was even more blunt:
“The Biden State Department violated federal law to open the OPA and it only served to sabotage Israel at every turn in the wake of Hamas’s terror attacks. This is the correct move by President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and Ambassador Huckabee to support our great ally and reverse the previous administration’s undermining of Israel.”
President Trump’s 2018 decision to open the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem marked a watershed moment in U.S.-Israel relations. Despite global pressure and media outrage at the time, Trump followed through on a promise that many past presidents had made but failed to keep.
“Today we follow through on this recognition and open our embassy in the historic and sacred land of Jerusalem and we’re opening it many, many years ahead of schedule,” Trump said in a video address at the opening.
The closure of the Office of Palestinian Affairs is just the latest sign that Trump’s policies toward Israel and Middle East diplomacy are making a comeback. With strong leadership from Secretary Rubio and Ambassador Huckabee, America is once again standing firmly with its most loyal ally in the region—and sending a message that diplomatic gamesmanship at Israel’s expense won’t be tolerated.
