For the first time: US embassy to provide consular services in West Bank settlements

The United States embassy in Israel announced on Tuesday that it plans to provide consular services to US citizens inside settlements in the occupied West Bank, marking a first-of-its-kind move.

In an official statement published under an initiative titled “Freedom 250”, the embassy said consular staff would offer routine passport services in the settlement of Efrat on Friday, 27 February.

The embassy said the activity was part of its efforts “to reach all Americans”, adding that consular teams would be present at each location for one day only.

According to the announcement, further visits are planned in the coming months to Ramallah, the settlement of Beitar Illit, as well as Haifa, Jerusalem, Netanya and Beit Shemesh.

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The statement did not distinguish between settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are regarded as illegal under international law, and cities within Israel’s internationally recognised borders, listing all locations under what it described as a “consular outreach” plan.

Efrat is located in the Gush Etzion area, south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. It is one of the settlements built on land occupied in 1967, which the United Nations and much of the international community consider illegal under international law.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has faced criticism and diplomatic pressure following remarks by the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, in which he spoke of what he described as Israel’s “right” to seize land from several Arab countries.

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