File Photo: People protest against the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, on May 14, 2018. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said here Thursday that the United States plans to merge its embassy and consulate general in Jerusalem to improve efficiency.
In a statement issued by the State Department, Pompeo said that "following the May 14 opening of the U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, we plan to achieve significant efficiencies and increase our effectiveness by merging U.S. Embassy Jerusalem and U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem into a single diplomatic mission."
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman will guide the merger, Pompeo said.
"We will continue to conduct a full range of reporting, outreach, and programming in the West Bank and Gaza as well as with Palestinians in Jerusalem through a new Palestinian Affairs Unit inside U.S. Embassy Jerusalem," he said.
The merge decision "is driven by our global efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations," Pompeo said.
"It does not signal a change of U.S. policy on Jerusalem, the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip," he said. "The United States continues to take no position on final status issues, including boundaries or borders. The specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem are subject to final status negotiations between the parties."
Pompeo said that the Trump administration is strongly committed to achieving a lasting and comprehensive peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and looks forward to continued partnership and dialogue "with the Palestinian people and, we hope in the future, with the Palestinian leadership."
The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state, while Israel wants all of Jerusalem to be its eternal capital.
Israel annexed East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and declared the whole city as its eternal indivisible capital in 1980, but the move has not been recognized by the international community.
Palestinians have been boycotting the United States since it recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.