Palestine–United States relations

Political relations between Palestine and the United States have been complex and strained since the 1960s. While the U.S. does not recognize the State of Palestine, it does recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the legitimate representative entity for the Palestinian people; following the Oslo Accords, it recognized the Palestinian National Authority as the legitimate Palestinian government of the Palestinian territories.

Due to its non-recognition of Palestine, the U.S. does not maintain any official diplomatic offices in the Palestinian territories nor does it provide consular services to Palestinians, and the Palestinians have had no diplomatic representation in the U.S. since the closure of the PLO mission in Washington, D.C., in October 2018 but is represented in the United States through its mission to the United Nations in New York City which serves as Palestine's de facto embassy. The U.S. designated a "Palestinian Affairs Unit" within its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem for the purpose of handling relations with the PNA, but Palestine is presently maintaining a public policy of non-cooperation with the office and with the U.S. in general. In June 2022, the "Palestinian Affairs Unit" (PAU) was renamed the "United States Office of Palestinian Affairs" and will report directly to Washington "on substantive matters".

Since around 2011, the PLO's diplomatic effort has focused on the campaign known as Palestine 194, which aims to gain full membership for Palestine in the United Nations (UN). Officially, Palestine seeks international recognition based on the pre-1967 borders of Israel, with East Jerusalem as its capital city.

History

The US presence in Palestine began as early as the 19th century. In 1844, the US State Department opened a consulate in Jerusalem, which became the primary point of contact with the local population. In the 19th century, many Americans traveled to the Holy Land for religious or cultural reasons, including Mark Twain.