In first, US embassy to provide consular services at pop-ups in 2 West Bank settlements
Pop-ups to be held in Efrat, which has a large number of US citizens, and Haredi town of Beitar Illit; consular service events also to take place in Ramallah, several Israeli cities
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The US Embassy in Israel announced Tuesday that it will for the first time operate pop-up locations in a pair of West Bank settlements to provide passport services to American citizens.
The first pop-up will be held on Friday in the Efrat settlement, which is home to a large American immigrant community.
The ultra-Orthodox settlement of Beitar Illit will also host a consular services event, along with the Palestinian city of Ramallah, the US embassy said in an X post, adding that there will also be pop-ups in Haifa, Jerusalem, Netanya and Beit Shemesh.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry welcomed “the historic decision by the US Embassy in Jerusalem to extend consular services to American citizens in Judea and Samaria.”
“Thank you [US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee] for making the relation between Israel and the US closer and stronger than ever,” the Foreign Ministry tweeted.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, while speaking at a Knesset event celebrating ties between Israel and the US, thanked the US embassy for “the important decision by the US embassy to extend consular services to Efrat in Judea and Samaria,” the biblical name for the West Bank.
The number of dual American-Israeli nationals living in the West Bank is estimated to be in the tens of thousands.
Besides the pop-ups, the US offers passport and consular services at the embassy in Jerusalem as well as at a Tel Aviv branch office.
The US embassy has previously provided consular services in Ramallah and other Palestinian cities in the West Bank. There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials to Tuesday’s announcement.
— U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (@usembassyjlm) February 24, 2026
The announcement came despite the embassy’s denial that it was planning to open a new office — either temporary or permanent — in Efrat after the settlement’s mayor appeared to try to preview the pop-up earlier this month but referred to it as a consular branch. The embassy has not responded to a request for clarification on the apparent reversal.
While US President Donald Trump has said that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, Huckabee has expressed support for the controversial move in the past, and the embassy’s decision to operate out of West Bank settlements would appear to be a nod toward Israeli sovereignty in the territory.
The international community — with the notable exception of the United States under Trump — considers settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law. Israel, which conquered the area in the 1967 Six Day War, disputes that position, citing historic ties to the region and a security imperative in holding on to it.
However, after the Israeli security cabinet’s approval this month of a series of measures aimed at expanding Jerusalem’s grip in the areas Palestinians hope will make up their future state, Trump and his administration responded by reiterating opposition to annexation, having expressed concerns it could upend efforts to stabilize the Gaza Strip.
Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.