US to offer passport services to citizens in illegal West Bank settlements

Israel welcomes move described by Palestinian Authority as undermining possibility of an independent state The US will provide on-site consular services in two Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank for the first time, breaking with previous policy in a move that has been criticised by Palestinian officials as “a clear violation of international law”. In a post on X, the US embassy in Jerusalem said that as part of an initiative to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence, it woul...

By Jason Burke International security correspondent