The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem says it will provide on-site passport and consular services to settlers based in the West Bank on Friday 27 February. The move marks the first time American consular officials have offered such services to settlers, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.
The services will be in the settlement of Efrat, south of Bethlehem, where many American-Israeli immigrants live, according to officials in a post on X. Similar services are planned for Ramallah, and cities outside of the West Bank, including Haifa.
Last week, Israel’s cabinet approved steps to expand its control over the West Bank making it easier for settlers to seize land, a move Palestinians described as a “de facto annexation.”
While U.S. President Donald Trump opposes formal annexation despite being a staunch supporter of Israel, his administration has taken no steps to curb settlement expansion, which rights groups say has increased since he took office.
Most of the West Bank remains under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in areas overseen by the Palestinian Authority.
Israel disputes claims that the settlements are illegal under international law. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, which draws significant support from settlement communities, includes members advocating for the annexation of land captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, which is also home to three million Palestinians.
Palestinians have long sought the West Bank for a future independent state, alongside Gaza and East Jerusalem.
The United Nations designates the West Bank as occupied because it was captured by Israeli forces during a six-day war in 1967 and it remains under its authority. The West Bank is also subject to the fourth Geneva Convention which governs the treatment of civilians in occupied terriroties.
The UN Security Council states that the establishment of Israeli settlers in the West Bank is a "flagrant violation of international law" and has no legal validity.
Israel strongly disputes these claims.
Iran suggested it would be "unreasonable" to proceed with talks to forge a permanent peace d...
Memorial events were held in Tehran’s main squares on Wednesday (8 April) to mark the 40th day since the ...
A barrage of Russian drones targeted and damaged a critical power substation in Ukraine's southern Odesa re...
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday he believes that some ...
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Iran suggested it would be "unreasonable" to proceed with talks to forge a permanent peace deal with the U.S. after Israel pounded Lebanon with its heaviest strikes yet on Wednesday, killing hundreds of people. The warning came from Iran's lead negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammed Bager Qalibaf.
Memorial events were held in Tehran’s main squares on Wednesday (8 April) to mark the 40th day since the killing of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died during U.S.-Israeli attacks on 28 February.
A barrage of Russian drones targeted and damaged a critical power substation in Ukraine's southern Odesa region on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials confirmed.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday he believes that some NATO countries were tested and failed amid Washington's criticism over European allies not getting involved in the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran.
China and Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Tuesday aimed at coordinating defensive efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving no agreed international framework for securing the vital route.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it had stopped firing on northern Israel and Israeli forces on Wednesday as part of a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East brokered between the United States and Iran. However, a Hezbollah lawmaker warned that the pause could collapse if Tel Aviv does not adhere to it.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Iran and the United States, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate two-week ceasefire covering all areas, but Israel says the deal excludes Lebanon. Tel Aviv says the U.S. is committed to achieving shared goals in upcoming negotiations.
Recent U.S. complaints about NATO allies and threats to quit the alliance are pushing European countries to seek alternative security arrangements, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Tuesday.
Construction has begun on a major new solar power project in Xizang, as China continues to expand its renewable energy capacity and push towards a greener future.
Israel launched its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since hostilities escalated last month, killing over 100 people, even as Hezbollah halted attacks under a disputed U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Türkiye aims to rank among the world’s top ten exporters of defence technology within the next two years.
As global attention centres on the conflict between Iran and the U.S., violence in Lebanon is intensifying, with Israeli strikes hitting residential areas, causing mounting civilian casualties and deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis.
Uzbekistan and the U.S. are preparing to launch a joint investment platform by the end of the year, alongside the creation of a new bilateral business council aimed at strengthening economic cooperation.
More than 94,000 people have been displaced in Afghanistan since late February due to cross-border fighting, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said, while nearly 100,000 in Nuristan remain cut off from aid due to insecurity.
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