US to offer passport services to citizens in illegal West Bank settlements

"Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, are illegal under international law. Efrat, about 7 miles (12km) south of Jerusalem, is home to about 12,000 Israelis. The Palestinian Authority's Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said in a statement that the initiative constitutes a clear violation of international law and a blatant favouring of the occupation authorities, referring to Israel."

"Mu'ayyad Shaa'ban, the head of the commission, said the step entrenches a settlement reality that undermines the possibility of establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state. Hamas called it a dangerous precedent and a practical recognition of the legitimacy of settlement and the occupation's control over the West Bank."

"The US embassy in Jerusalem said similar facilities offering consular services would be provided in the coming months in a second Israeli settlement, Beitar Illit, as well as in the Palestinian city of Ramallah and three cities inside Israel. The Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar, welcomed the US move."

The US embassy in Jerusalem announced it will provide routine passport services to Americans in the Israeli settlement of Efrat on Friday as part of a 250th anniversary independence initiative. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law. The Palestinian Authority's Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission condemned the move as a violation of international law that favors occupation authorities and undermines Palestinian statehood prospects. Hamas called it a dangerous precedent recognizing settlement legitimacy. The US plans to extend similar consular services to a second settlement, Beitar Illit, alongside Palestinian Ramallah and three Israeli cities. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed the decision, while international observers noted the policy's significant contextual implications.

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