Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered the Office of Palestinian Affairs in Jerusalem to be merged into the US embassy, closing an important mission that provided diplomatic contact with Palestinians.
The move will restore the Palestinian Affairs Unit at the embassy, which US President Donald Trump created during his first term in office.
In a move that infuriated the Arab world, Mr Trump relocated the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2017, recognising Israel's claim to the whole city as its capital.
At the same time, he closed the consulate in Jerusalem, which had served as the main US point of contact with the Palestinians.
“This decision will restore the first Trump term's framework of a unified US diplomatic mission in Israel's capital that reports to the US ambassador to Israel,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters.
“Ambassador [Mike] Huckabee will take the steps necessary to implement the merger over the coming weeks. The United States remains committed to its historic relationship with Israel, bolstering Israel's security and securing peace to create a better life for the entire region.”
A means for Palestinians to speak directly to Washington was considered an important way for the US to manage its fragile ties with them, away from the close alliance with Israel.
The office in Jerusalem was Washington's point of contact with the Palestinian Authority, which has limited autonomy in the occupied West Bank, and with Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza.
Ms Bruce said the move did not reflect any change in the US “commitment to outreach” with Palestinians. She said it was part of a streamlining of the State Department in Washington, ensuring that offices on "the issues that are important are all working together".
Mr Rubio has not announced a new envoy to the Palestinians.
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
