US Plans to Open Consular Services in West Bank Israeli Settlements

JAKARTA - The United States Embassy in West Jerusalem plans to offer consular services in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank for the first time, providing routine passport assistance on Friday to American citizens in Efrat.

The embassy said similar services were planned in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit in the coming months, calling the service part of "an effort to reach all American citizens," as reported by Daily Sabah from The Associated Press (25/2).

The US Embassy had previously provided consular services in Ramallah and other Palestinian cities in the West Bank.

The move continues a policy shift under US President Donald Trump's administration, which is much more friendly to Israeli settlements in the West Bank than previous US presidents.

"We welcome the historic decision by the US Embassy in Jerusalem to expand consular services to American citizens in Judea and Samaria," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on social media X.

More than 3.4 million Palestinians and 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, territory Israel captured in 1967 and Palestinians want for their future state.

The international community generally considers Israeli settlement building in the territory illegal and an obstacle to peace.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest court of the United Nations (UN), ruled that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law.

Most of the world considers the settlements illegal, and the impact on the ground is clear. Palestinians say the continued expansion of construction surrounds them and makes it almost impossible to establish a viable independent state.

Violence by settlers and military raids has increased in the West Bank since Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.