The US has closed its consulate general in Jerusalem, which covered Palestinian affairs, folding its operations into the new embassy to Israel in the city. The state department said the merger was made for efficiency reasons and did not signal a change of policy on Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Gaza. The consulate had acted as a de facto embassy to the Palestinians. A Palestinian official called the move "the last nail in the coffin of the US administration's role in peacemaking". President Donald Trump is preparing to unveil a long-awaited Middle East peace plan, but Palestinian officials have refused to engage with his envoys since his controversial decision in December 2017 to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the US embassy to the city from Tel Aviv. Israel regards Jerusalem as its "eternal and undivided" capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem - occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war - as the capital of a future Palestinian state. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in October that the consulate in Jerusalem would merge with the US embassy to form a single diplomatic mission. On Monday, state department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said the merger had taken effect and promised "complete continuity of US diplomatic activity and consular services". Mr Palladino said the decision was "driven by our global efforts to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our diplomatic engagements and operations" and did not signal a change in policy. "As the president has stated, 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," he added. "The administration remains fully committed to efforts to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace that offers a brighter future to Israel and the Palestinians." AFP.