US to provide consular services in illegal Israeli settlement

US embassy services will be available in the illegal West Bank settlement of Efrat, starting on February 27.Published On 24 Feb 2026The United States has announced it will soon provide in-person passport services at an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.The US Embassy in Jerusalem said it would start providing the service for Efrat, located between the Palestinian towns of Bethlehem and Hebron, on February 27.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Israel’s opposition leader voices support for ‘broad’ Middle East expansionlist 2 of 4In Gaza, Trump’s Board of Peace met with deep scepticism, little hopelist 3 of 4Inside Israel’s plan to turn West Bank land into ‘state property’list 4 of 4‘Absurd and provocative’: Huckabee faces firestorm for Israel border stanceend of listIt will be the first time the US has “provided consular services to a settlement in the West Bank”, according to a US embassy spokesperson quoted by the Reuters news agency.The embassy said it would plan similar on-site services in the Palestinian city of Ramallah, the illegal Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit near Bethlehem, and in cities within Israel, such ⁠as Haifa.The US currently offers passport and consular services at its embassy in West Jerusalem as well ⁠as at a Tel Aviv branch office.Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, home to 3 million Palestinians who seek the territory as part of a future state, are illegal under international law.Nevertheless, far-right Israeli politicians have openly called for Israel to increase settlement expansion, or even annex the Palestinian territory.This month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government approved measures to expand control over the occupied West Bank and claim large tracts of Palestinian territory as Israeli “state property”.The move was roundly condemned by more than 80 United Nations member countries.Much of the West Bank is already under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-government in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.According to the International Court of Justice, about 465,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied Palestinian territory, spread across some 300 illegal settlements and outposts.