Hans Wechsel, who has been chief of the “U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs in Jerusalem” since Aug. 24, told staff on Tuesday that he aims to resign at the end of the month, Jewish Insider reported.
The diplomat said at a staff meeting that he “didn’t like the direction the ship was heading,” per Jewish Insider, which cited four people with knowledge of the matter. (JNS sought comment from the U.S. State Department.)
A veteran diplomat, Wechsel previously worked in Afghanistan, Belgium, Ghana, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The office that he leads, which serves as Washington’s diplomatic conduit to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, is located in the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem but is a separate body.
The office was known as the “Palestinian Affairs Unit” until mid-2022. Its chief reported to the U.S. ambassador to Israel. The 2022 change under President Biden was seen as an upgrade in diplomatic ties between Washington and Ramallah.
In a statement upon taking office, Wechsel said that “advancing U.S. support for the Palestinian people will be critically important in the months and years ahead.”
U.S. President Donald Trump announced last month that he envisions a U.S. takeover of the Gaza Strip to rebuild it after the war between Israel and Hamas. He has demanded that Egypt and Jordan absorb nearly 2 million Gazans and acknowledged that they may not be able to return.
