Jerusalem (CNN) On Monday morning, the US Consulate General in Jerusalem opened under a new name and a new boss.

What had functioned as the US mission to the Palestinians since the 1990s is now officially known as the Palestinian Affairs Unit.

Karen Sasahara, the Consul General, is out, and the new unit reports directly to US Ambassador David Friedman, who has supported Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The US insists that folding the Consulate General in Jerusalem into the US Embassy is all about efficiency, part of the Trump administration's efforts to increase "effectiveness of our diplomatic engagements and operations."

"There will be complete continuity of US diplomatic activity and consular services during and after the merger," read a statement from State Department spokesman Robert Palladino . "We will continue to conduct all of the diplomatic and consular functions previously performed by US Embassy Jerusalem."

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