The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, plans to shut down a direct communications channel between U.S. diplomats in Jerusalem working on Palestinian issues and agencies in Washington.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, through U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee, will merge the Palestinian Affairs Office responsibilities with the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

The Trump administration will fold the office that manages Washington's relations with Palestinians into the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Tuesday. The merging of the U.