US to provide consular services in illegal West Bank settlements

The United States will provide passport services inside an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank for the first time, the US embassy in Jerusalem has announced. The move applies to the settlement of Efrat and will begin on 27 February. The decision has drawn condemnation from Palestinian officials, who describe it as a breach of international law. In a statement, the US embassy said consular officers would offer routine passport services in Efrat for one day as part of an outreach i...