US Consulate to Start Services in Gush Etzion Settlements After Nearly 60 Years

For the first time since 1967, when Israel captured the territories of Judea and Samaria during the Six-Day War, the United States will open consular services for its citizens directly in Israeli settlements.

According to the French edition of i24news, consular teams will be traveling from Tel Aviv to the Gush Etzion settlements, including the main population center of the region — Efrat.

Previously, American citizens living in the settlements had to travel to the US consulate in Jerusalem for passport renewals, registering the birth of children, or obtaining other official documents.

Now, consulate staff will be coming to them: a schedule has been developed, designating specific days for servicing individual settlements.

This is part of a broader program to expand US consular services throughout Israel and the Palestinian territories. The program, named Freedom 250, includes cities such as Ramallah, Beitar Illit, Haifa, Netanya, Beit Shemesh, and Jerusalem.

The inclusion of settlements in this list marks an unprecedented event: no previous American administration, whether Democratic or Republican, has operated directly in the settlements.