According to reports from the international news agency Tasnim, Palestinian groups have reacted strongly to the U.S. decision to provide consular services in the occupied West Bank, asserting it as blatant collusion with the Israeli regime aimed at annexing the area. Last night, the Islamic Jihad movement issued a statement declaring that the U.S. Embassy’s announcement in Jerusalem about offering consular services in the illegal settlement of Efrat, built on lands in Bethlehem and Hebron, is a clear violation of all international conventions and norms. This act further confirms the United States’ complete bias towards settlement expansion and the annexation policies of the occupying regime’s cabinet.The Islamic Jihad movement emphasized that the claim suggesting this action is part of a U.S. program for Americans living abroad or that it is temporary does not diminish the dangerous nature of this move. Instead, these assertions are attempts to normalize such actions in the occupied West Bank, establishing them as a standard practice serving annexation objectives.The statement continued: ‘Providing official services within the settlements established on occupied lands, as Washington claims, is not merely an administrative procedure. It represents a clear political and legal recognition of the legitimacy of Israeli settlements and an active participation in the crime of ‘silent annexation’ carried out by the fascist cabinet of the occupiers.’The movement added that offering services to Americans in a region where Palestinians are shot at daily and their properties are confiscated is, in fact, part of the occupiers’ dominance over the West Bank and the displacement of the Palestinian people. This criminal policy is supported by Washington through funding, weaponry, and now, diplomatic cover.Islamic Jihad stressed that this step transforms the U.S. into a direct partner in the annexation projects of the West Bank to lands occupied by the Israeli regime. It illustrates that the statements made by Donald Trump, the former U.S. President, opposing the annexation of the West Bank are nothing more than a media deception to facilitate the implementation of Judaization and annexation projects without any objection from Arab governments.The statement concluded by noting that Washington’s actions align with recent remarks made by Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to the occupied territories.Hamas also issued a statement regarding this matter, declaring that the U.S. move to provide consular services in the Efrat settlement, built on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank, represents a dangerous precedent and an overt alignment with Judaization plans. It also acknowledges the practical legitimacy of the settlements and the control of the occupiers over the West Bank.Hamas emphasized that this U.S. decision reveals a blatant contradiction in its positions, as Washington claims to oppose the annexation of the West Bank while simultaneously taking actions that reinforce annexation and solidify the occupiers’ sovereignty over Palestinian land.The movement added that providing official U.S. services in the settlements is a clear violation of international laws, which criminalize settlement activities and attempt to impose new political realities that pave the way for the obliteration of the national rights of the Palestinian people.Hamas further warned about the dangers of this action and its implications, especially in light of statements from U.S. officials, including Mike Huckabee, who encourage the occupiers to expand their control over Palestinian territories. It called for a firm international stance against these actions.These statements follow an unprecedented announcement from the U.S. Embassy in the occupied territories that it will begin providing regular consular services to American citizens, including passport services, in several locations, including West Bank settlements.The embassy confirmed that consular staff will start offering passport services in the Efrat settlement in the West Bank from Friday, February 27. Following that, field visits to other locations, including Beitar Illit, Ramallah, Haifa, Jerusalem, Netanya, and Beit Shemesh, will take place over the next two months.The expansion of U.S. consular services in the West Bank signifies direct support from the United States for the settlements and the consolidation of the Israeli regime’s occupation in this region.
