Mobile consulate. The US provides passport services in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Palestinians accuse a “violation of international law”
The United States will, for the first time, offer consular services directly to two Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, marking a change from previous practice. The decision was welcomed by Israel, but strongly criticized by Palestinian officials, who consider it “a clear violation of international law”.
US Embassy Jerusalem/PHOTO: X
In a message published on the X platform, the US Embassy in Jerusalem announced that, as part of initiatives dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the proclamation of the independence of the United States, it will provide passport services for American citizens in the Efrat colony, “for one day only”.
Efrat
Efrat is about 12 kilometers south of Jerusalem and has a population of about 12,000 Israelis. Israeli settlements in the West Bank, territory occupied by Israel since 1967, are considered illegal under international law, an interpretation disputed by the Israeli government.
The Palestinian Authority, through the Commission for Colonization and Resistance to the Wall, said the initiative “clearly favors the occupation authorities.” The head of the commission, Mu'ayyad Shaa'ban, said the measure “consolidates a reality of colonization that undermines the possibility of establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.”
The Hamas group described the decision as “a dangerous precedent” and a “practical recognition of the legitimacy of colonization”.
The US embassy said similar services will be offered in the coming months in the Beitar Illit settlement, as well as in the Palestinian city of Ramallah and three other cities inside Israel.
Israel welcomes the measure
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed the move, saying he appreciated the decision to expand consular services to Euphrates, using the biblical name “Judea and Samaria” for the West Bank.
Analysts say both context and intent are relevant. Hugh Lovatt, of the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, is known for supporting the “Greater Israel” vision. In his opinion, the measure sends the signal that Washington will not treat the settlements in the West Bank differently from the settlements located in the recognized territory of Israel.
Last week, the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu approved measures aimed at strengthening control over the West Bank and making it easier for settlers to buy land, a decision Palestinians described as “a de facto annexation”.
US President Donald Trump has said he opposes the formal annexation of the West Bank, in line with the traditional US position, but his administration has not taken steps to limit settlement expansion, which has intensified over the past year.
Violence in the West Bank has increased since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023. Last week, a Palestinian with US citizenship was killed in an attack attributed to Israeli settlers, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and witnesses. In southern Hebron, in the Masafer Yatta area, Palestinian homes were recently set on fire.
The United States currently provides consular services at the embassy in Jerusalem and an office in Tel Aviv. It is estimated that tens of thousands of US-Israeli dual citizens live in the West Bank.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, a territory inhabited by approximately three million Palestinians. Much of the region is under Israeli military control, while the Palestinian Authority exercises limited autonomy in certain areas.
