US plans to eliminate security post tasked with bolstering Israel-PA security ties
US official says move not final until announcement, but acknowledges office of 3-star general in Jerusalem is currently on chopping block as part of State Department reorganization
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
WASHINGTON — The US State Department is planning to eliminate the office of the US Security Coordinator (USSC) in Jerusalem, which helps bolster security coordination between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, a Trump administration official, congressional aide and third source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.
The cut is part of a broader reorganization of the State Department that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is advancing, which will see the shuttering of dozens of offices around the globe, the sources said. The move was first reported by the Axios news site.
The current USSC in Jerusalem, Lieutenant General Michael Fenzel, was informed last week that his position will be cut, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks, the congressional aide and a source familiar said.
The Congressional aide warned that the move could have destabilizing implications for the West Bank, as the USSC post has played a critical role in bolstering the PA security forces.
“This ultimately risks harming Israeli security,” the congressional aide added.
The US official clarified that the decision is not final until its announced but acknowledged that Fenzel’s position is among those on the chopping block. The official added that the move is a cost-cutting measure and not being made for policy reasons.
Fenzel was first informed of the plan earlier this year but was then told that the decision had been reversed after holding meetings in Washington at which he stressed the importance of maintaining the position, according to the source familiar with the matter.
That reversal was short-lived, however, and the USSC in Jerusalem did not make an updated list of offices that will continue to operate following the soon-to-be-announced reorganization of the State Department.
The Jerusalem position last made headlines in the summer of 2022, when the Pentagon moved to downgrade the rank of the security official stationed there from a three-star general to a to colonel in order to cut costs.
Ultimately, though, the effort was reversed by the Biden administration following a bipartisan lobbying effort led by Senators Lindsey Graham and Jon Ossoff.
Mike Waltz, who is now US National Security Adviser, helped advance a similar letter in the House of Representatives in defense of keeping a high-ranked general at the USSC Jerusalem office.
But the US was also swayed by Israel, which cautioned against the destabilizing nature of such a move on the security situation in the West Bank.
This time around, Israel has not weighed in on the matter, and the Defense Ministry now headed by Israel Katz has been very resistant to take steps that bolster the Palestinian Authority.
A shipment of ammunition earmarked for the PA’s security forces has been sitting in Jordan for months because Katz has refused to sign off on it, a Palestinian official said.
The office of the USSC in Jerusalem was established in 2005 as part of the Bush administration’s Roadmap for Peace. The international team includes representatives from the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, Poland and Bulgaria, but it is headed by the US, whose representative is also the highest-ranking offical in the group. Fenzel has held the position since 2021.
The coordinator’s job focuses on reforming and strengthening the PA security forces and bolstering coordination with Israel, which the IDF has long touted as critical for stability in the region.
Supporters of maintaining the position say it has allowed the three-star rank of the US representative to gain access to high-level officials in Jerusalem and Ramallah who would not take the post as seriously if it were filled by a more junior officer.
The security coordinator has proven particularly essential during times of crisis in Israeli-Palestinian ties. When the PA announced the severing of its security coordination with Israel, amid 2017 tensions surrounding the Temple Mount, the USSC was left as the only channel through which the sides were able to communicate in order to prevent further deterioration of relations.
The USSC also facilitates the transfer of much-needed weaponry to the PA security forces, serving as an assuring presence for skeptical onlookers in Israel whose tacit approval is needed for such handovers to go through.
A former Biden administration official told The Times of Israel that they planned for the USSC to play a critical role in preparing the PA security forces to eventually play a role in securing the Gaza Strip in place of Hamas after the war.
Fenzel was also closely involved in the effort to encourage Israel and the PA to cooperate in the investigation into the 2022 killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Fenzel’s office did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
Ossoff told The Times of Israel in a statement Tuesday evening that the “US Security Coordinator in Jerusalem plays an essential role protecting American interests and supporting stability in Israel and Palestinian Territories at a moment of intense conflict and crisis.”
“Eliminating this office would be deeply unwise and self-defeating, and I urge Secretary Rubio to reject any such proposal,” he added.
The Times of Israel Community.