DaysofPal – US officials have revealed a new policy shift that will see American consular services offered directly inside Israeli settlements built on occupied West Bank land.
The sources said that this is the first time such services will be offered inside settlements in US diplomatic practice. The policy is set to take effect this week, beginning with passport services for American citizens living in those areas.
Israel’s Channel 14 reported that the US Consulate in Jerusalem has opened a branch inside a West Bank settlement for the first time since 1967. The outlet said the branch was established in the settlement of Efrat, part of the Gush Etzion bloc south of Bethlehem.
The US Embassy in Jerusalem confirmed on social media that consular staff will be present on Friday, February 27, in Efrat, which is built on land belonging to Palestinian residents south of Bethlehem.
The plan does not stop at Efrat. The embassy announced its intention to extend similar services to the nearby settlement of Beitar Illit. It also indicated that comparable services would be provided in the city of Ramallah.
Until now, US consular services were limited to the embassy in Jerusalem and a branch office in Tel Aviv. The new approach represents a departure from that longstanding arrangement.
Hebrew-language website Kipa reported that the decision to open a consular office in Efrat reflects a significant change in Washington’s stance toward territories occupied in 1967. The report described the move as carrying major political implications, suggesting it amounts to implicit recognition of Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank.
The website notes that establishing a US consular presence inside a settlement signals a shift in how Washington addresses the legal status of the West Bank. For decades, US policy has treated the territory as occupied land subject to negotiations over final status.
Debate over the future of the region and the course of US policy has intensified as a result of recent decisions made by the Israeli government to consolidate full Israeli control over the West Bank.
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