Palestinians Condemn US Consular Services in West Bank Settlement
The embassy announced on Tuesday that it will start offering passport and citizenship services to US citizens in Efrat, south of Bethlehem, beginning Friday. It also stated on the social media platform X that consular staff will conduct additional visits over the next two months, including to the settlement of Beitar Illit near Bethlehem.
Efrat is part of the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, built on territory occupied by Israel in 1967. The United Nations and the international community consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be illegal under international law.
Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)’s Executive Committee, told Anadolu: “The move is illegal and confirms that Washington is treating the settlements as if they were part of Israel in an attempt to legitimize the occupation.”
He added, “There are numerous UN Security Council resolutions affirming the illegality of settlement activity, as well as legal opinions issued by the International Court of Justice confirming the inadmissibility of settlements in occupied territories. This step clearly contradicts the international legal system.”
The PLO official also emphasized that the US decision amounts to implicit approval of Israel’s annexation of the West Bank.
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