US EditionUS embassy to offer its first consular services at an Israeli settlement in the West Bank
US Embassy's one-day passport service in Efrat aims to assist thousands of American-Israeli dual nationals amid criticism over settlement legitimacy and international law.
- On Tuesday, the US Embassy said it will begin offering passport and citizenship services in the Efrat settlement, south of Bethlehem, on Friday, serving American residents in the Gush Etzion settlement cluster.
- On Monday, foreign ministers of 19 countries accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of `de facto annexation` amid Area C land-registration plans that reclassify Palestinian land as Israeli state land.
- Hamas and the Palestinian Authority condemned the US move Wednesday, with Hamas calling it `a dangerous precedent` and the PLO commission saying it `constitutes a clear violation of international law`. Mu'ayyad Sha'ban, head of the PA commission, reiterated settlements are illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
- Officials noted the timing amid expanded settlement activity; Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the decision and thanked the US for strengthening relations.
- About 465,000 settlers live on Palestinian land, many dual US-Israeli citizens, and the US currently offers consular services at its West Jerusalem embassy and Tel Aviv embassy.
58 Articles
58 Articles
US opens 'pop-up' consulate in Israeli settlement considered illegal under international law
Around 4,000 people in Efrat - that's about a third of its population - are US citizens. And as we watched, a decent chunk of that number came to a community centre, clutching passports, documents, small Stars and Stripes flags and paperwork.
The United States will provide consular services to Americans in an illegal Israeli settlement. Israelis and Palestinians agree: this legitimizes Israel's claim to the area.
A new diplomatic taboo is destined to fall into the West Bank. After making news in 2018 with the official visit of the American ambassador to an Israeli settlement is a gesture that...
Palestinian factions denounce US for offering ‘consular services’ inside West Bank settlement
Palestinian factions condemn the decision by the US embassy in the occupied territories to provide “consular services” inside an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank.
This measure is a step towards legitimizing Israeli settlements, considered illegal by international law and almost all countries. More information: Israel continues its illegal expansion and will build nearly 800 homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank.
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