U.S. to Provide Passport Services in West Bank Settlement Amid Mixed Reactions

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem will offer passport services for the first time at the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the West Bank, with plans for similar services in Beitar Illit, Ramallah, and cities in Israel. This move, part of efforts to reach all Americans abroad, has been welcomed by Israeli officials but criticized by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas as a violation of international law and support for settlement expansion. The West Bank settlements remain a contentious issue amid ongoing Israeli-Palestinian disputes.