US to offer services in illegal West Bank settlements as Israel pushes for annexation

The US embassy in Israeli-occupied territories has announced that it will begin providing routine consular services for American citizens in illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank.

In a statement released on Friday, the embassy said that the services, which include passport issuance, will be provided at multiple locations.

The consular staff will visit the settlement of Efrat on Friday, with follow-up visits planned over the next two months to other sites, the embassy added.

Israeli authorities welcomed the US decision.

The developments come days after controversial remarks by US Ambassador to the Israeli-occupied territories Mike Huckabee, in which he suggested that Israel could claim all of West Asia.

The remarks have already sparked widespread Arab and international criticism.

Observers maintain that expanding US consular services to settlements marks a departure from previous administrations, which had openly opposed settlement activity and labeled it illegal under international law.

UN Security Council Resolution 2334 of 2016 states that settlement construction in occupied Palestinian territories "has no legal validity" and constitutes a "flagrant violation" of international law.

The resolution calls for a halt to all settlement activities. Most of the international community regards the West Bank as occupied and views settlements as a major obstacle to Palestinian statehood.

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