US to offer passport services in West Bank settlement for first time
Most of the world considers Israel's West Bank settlements illegal under international law relating to military occupations
The US will provide on-site passport services this week in a settlement in the West Bank, marking the first time American consular officials have offered such services to settlers in the occupied territory, US officials said on Tuesday (.
Most of the world considers Israel's West Bank settlements illegal under international law relating to military occupations.
Israel disputes that the settlements are illegal, and many on the Israeli right advocate annexing the West Bank.
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Palestinians have long sought the West Bank for a future independent state, alongside Gaza and East Jerusalem.
This month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing cabinet approved measures making it easier for settlers to seize Palestinian land.
Tens of thousands of American-Israelis in West Bank
US President Donald Trump, a staunch supporter of Israel, has said he opposes Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
But his administration has not taken any measures to halt settlement activity, which rights groups say has risen since he took office last year.
In a post on X, the US Embassy in Jerusalem said that as part of efforts to reach all Americans abroad, "consular officers will be providing routine passport services in Efrat on Friday, February 27," referring to a settlement south of the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.
The Embassy said it would plan similar on-site services in the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah, in the settlement of Beitar Illit near Bethlehem, and in cities within Israel such as Haifa.
The US offers passport and consular services at its Embassy in Jerusalem as well as at a Tel Aviv branch office.
The number of dual American-Israeli nationals living in the West Bank is estimated to be in the tens of thousands.
Asked for comment, an embassy spokesperson said: "This is the first time we have provided consular services to a settlement in the West Bank."
The spokesperson said similar services were being offered to American-Palestinian dual nationals in the West Bank.
'De facto annexation'
Last week, Israel's cabinet approved measures to tighten the country's control over the West Bank and make it easier for settlers to buy land, a move Palestinians called a "de facto annexation".
