US offers passport services to Judea, Samaria communities for first time

The Israeli Foreign Ministry welcomed an announcement by the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem to provide passport services on-site to residents in Judea and Samaria.

The embassy said that as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration and an accompanying effort “to reach all Americans,” the consular office would provide one-day passport services to several locations, including Efrat, Ramallah, Beitar Illit, Haifa, Jerusalem, Netanya and Beit Shemesh.

The session in Efrat is set to take place on Feb. 27, with the others to follow in the coming months.

Efrat and Beitar Illit are Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, and the embassy’s provision of services there would be a first.

An embassy spokesperson confirmed to JNS on Wednesday that “this is the first time we have provided consular services to a [Jewish] settlement in the West Bank.”

“This does not represent a change to U.S. policy,” the spokesperson said. “U.S. Embassy Jerusalem seeks to provide consular services to as many U.S. citizens as possible throughout Israel and the West Bank.”

The statement noted that the embassy has recently provided consular services in Palestinian cities and towns across Samaria, including Ramallah, Taybeh, Al-Mazra’a Ash-Sharqiya and Turmus Aya.

“We welcome the historic decision by the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem to extend consular services to American citizens in Judea and Samaria,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated, thanking U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee for making relations between Israel and the United States “closer and stronger than ever.”

The Efrat Local Council, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said that the “historic” event “continues the line represented by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who visited Efrat several times and even said that he would like to buy a home and move to live in the community.”

“After prolonged efforts, we are pleased to be the first community to host the consular service branch of the U.S. embassy as part of the new project presented by the embassy,” Efrat Mayor Dovi Shefler said.

The embassy’s consular section “will assist the many Efrat residents who hold American citizenship,” he stated, adding that the step “constitutes a revolution in service for our residents, and we are proud to be the bearers of this news in Judea and Samaria.”

Huckabee said in an interview with Tucker Carlson last week that “Area C is Israel.” Under the Oslo Accords’ division of Judea and Samaria into three portions, Area C is the only one under both Israeli civil and military control and comprises 60% of the region.

Israeli officials have largely insisted that Area C, or the bulk of it, will be included in any potential political settlement with the Palestinians.

Area C is home to roughly 325,000 Israelis and 300,000 Palestinians and includes about 135 Jewish communities recognized by the Israeli government, and more than 100 unrecognized outposts.

Stated U.S. policy, however, is that Judea and Samaria is not Israeli territory. A U.S. official declined to elaborate on Huckabee’s comments but told JNS that it did not reflect the current Trump administration position.

Trump opposes the unilateral application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, the official told JNS.

The Israeli government approved a plan this month to convert the status of land in the region to state property if Palestinians living there cannot prove ownership.

The U.S. government doesn’t keep specific data, but it is believed that Efrat and Beitar Illit, the latter of which is completely populated by Haredim, have a sizable contingent of Israeli-Americans.

Tuesday evening marked the cutoff for Efrat residents to register for an appointment with consular officials for Friday. An announcement from the municipal council there said that passport services would be available, along with citizenship registration for children born outside the United States and notary services.

©JNS