Rubio Shuts Down Palestinian Affairs Office in Move Toward Diplomatic Clarity

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken a bold and necessary step by shutting down the Office of Palestinian Affairs (OPA) and consolidating its functions under the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. It’s a return to clarity, legality, and unapologetic American leadership in the Middle East a welcome reversal of the murky, double-dealing diplomacy of the Biden years.

For too long, the OPA operated as a quasi-embassy for the Palestinian Authority not reporting to the U.S. Ambassador in Jerusalem but straight to Foggy Bottom. That setup directly undermined the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which explicitly recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and mandates that the U.S. embassy be located there.

It was no accident that President Donald Trump eliminated the OPA in 2019 as part of his broader realignment of U.S. Middle East policy one that recognized facts over fantasy and allies over adversaries. Biden’s decision to reopen the OPA in 2022 not only contradicted U.S. law but reopened a diplomatic wound that never should have been touched.

• The OPA operated out of Jerusalem while sidestepping Israel’s sovereignty and American law.

• It issued independent statements including a disgraceful call for Israeli “restraint” after the October 2023 Hamas massacre, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

• Reports surfaced that American citizens, particularly dual Israeli-American nationals, were denied consular services at the OPA, raising serious red flags about the office’s legitimacy and purpose.

Rubio’s action brings a swift end to the confusion. It sends an unmistakable message: America stands with Israel, and we don’t do business with terrorist sympathizers under the guise of “diplomatic outreach.” If the U.S. wants to maintain contact with Palestinians, it can do so through appropriate channels not by elevating illegitimate, agenda-driven offices with zero accountability.

The Biden administration’s flirtation with these backchannels did nothing but appease the far-left and alienate our closest ally in the region. Worse, it emboldened entities like the Palestinian Authority to continue peddling anti-Israel rhetoric while pocketing U.S. taxpayer dollars. Enough.

This decision also aligns with calls from respected institutions like the Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy (JCAP), which has consistently warned that the OPA undermined both Israeli sovereignty and American diplomatic coherence. Their consultations with Congress helped expose how this office became a political liability, not a diplomatic asset.

Now is the time to take it even further:

• Shut down UNRWA, the corrupt agency sustaining the cycle of Palestinian victimhood.

• Cut off funding to UNESCO, which routinely delegitimizes Israel.

• Support Israeli development in Jerusalem, and back the one true democracy in the Middle East without apology.

Secretary Rubio’s leadership is a sharp contrast to the globalist fog we endured under Biden’s foreign policy. This is what diplomacy looks like when it’s grounded in values, law, and strength not symbolism and surrender.

America’s credibility has been bruised in recent years. Moves like this begin the process of restoring it.

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