US embassy to offer its first consular services at an Israeli settlement in the West Bank

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JERUSALEM (AP) — The U.S. embassy in Jerusalem plans to offer consular services for the first time at an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.

A statement posted Wednesday to the U.S. embassy's account on the social platform X said consular officers “will be providing routine passport services” to U.S. citizens Friday in the West Bank settlement of Efrat. The embassy said a similar outreach service is planned in the coming months in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit, calling the services part of its “efforts to reach all Americans.”

The U.S. embassy has previously provided consular services in Ramallah and other Palestinian cities in the West Bank.

The move continues a shift in policy under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, which has been far friendlier to Israeli settlements in the West Bank than past U.S. presidents.

“We welcome the historic decision by the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem to extend consular services to American citizens in Judea and Samaria,” Israel's Foreign Ministry said on X.

There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials.

More than 3.4 million Palestinians and 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and sought by Palestinians for a future state. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in these areas to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.

Most of the world considers the settlements illegal, and their impact on the ground is clear. Palestinians say the ever-expanding construction hems them in and makes it nearly impossible to establish a viable independent state.

Settler violence and army raids have increased in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.