Palestine Condemns U.S. Embassy to Israel for Expanding Consular Services to West Bank

Palestine condemned on the 25th the decision by the U.S. Embassy in Israel to provide consular services within Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority’s “Committee for Resistance against the Wall and Settlements” issued a statement on the 25th saying that this decision “blatantly violates international law and clearly favors the occupying country.” According to the Fourth Geneva Convention and relevant UN resolutions, all Jewish settlements in the West Bank are illegal. The U.S. embassy’s actions contradict the U.S. stance supporting the “two-state solution.” The statement emphasized that this move attempts to redefine Jewish settlements as administrative areas capable of providing normal consular services, giving them additional political cover. Palestine calls on the U.S. government to revoke this decision and urges the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities to prevent the legalization of Jewish settlements. The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) issued a statement on the 25th saying that providing U.S. consular services within Jewish settlements openly violates international law and attempts to impose new political realities, thereby depriving the Palestinian people of their national rights. On the 24th, the U.S. Embassy in Israel posted a statement on social media saying that consular officials from the U.S. Embassy in Israel will provide routine passport services at the Efrat Jewish settlement in the West Bank on the 27th. (Xinhua)