THE Trump administration has ordered the closure of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington, citing the refusal of Palestinian leaders to enter into peace talks with Israel.

The Palestinians have accused the administration of dismantling decades of US engagement with them.

The US State Department said the step on Monday — the latest in a series targeting the Palestinians — came after a review of the office of the Palestine Liberation Organisation centred on the fact that no “direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel” are underway despite previous warnings.

“To the contrary, PLO leadership has condemned a US peace plan they have not yet seen and refused to engage with the US government with respect to peace efforts and otherwise,” spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

“As such, and reflecting congressional concerns, the administration has decided that the PLO office in Washington will close at this point.”

The Trump administration had told the Palestinians last November that closure could be expected unless they agreed to sit to down with the Israelis. The administration, however, has yet to release its own much-vaunted but largely unknown peace plan although it said it still intends to do so.

“The United States continues to believe that direct negotiations between the two parties are the only way forward,” Ms Nauert said in her statement. “This action should not be exploited by those who seek to act as spoilers to distract from the imperative of reaching a peace agreement.

“We are not retreating from our efforts to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace.” She also said the closure decision was consistent with US concerns about Palestinian attempts to prompt an investigation of Israel by the International Criminal Court.

Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said the closure was “yet another affirmation of the Trump administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education.”

It comes as the US pledged to use “any means necessary” to protect American citizens and allies from International Criminal Court prosecution.

Mr Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, said the court is “illegitimate” and “for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us.”

Mr Bolton delivered his remarks on Monday to the conservative Federalist Society in Washington.

He said that the court threatens the “constitutional rights” of Americans and US sovereignty.

The ICC, which is based in The Hague, has a mandate to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

President Bill Clinton signed the Rome Statute that established the court, but his successor, George W. Bush, renounced the signature, citing fears that Americans would be unfairly prosecuted for political reasons.