File Photo: People protest against the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, on May 14, 2018. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)
WASHINGTON, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department said Sunday that U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem will merge into the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem on Monday.
According to a statement issued by Robert Palladino, the State Department's deputy spokesperson, the merge aims to "form a single diplomatic mission."
"There will be complete continuity of U.S. diplomatic activity and consular services during and after the merger," he said, adding that the decision "does not signal a change of U.S. policy on Jerusalem, the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last October that the United States planned to merge its embassy and consulate general in Jerusalem to improve efficiency.
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 Middle East 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 U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the relocation of its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.