The U.S. embassy in Israel on Friday opened consular services for Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria for the first time.
The one-day consular pop-up operation took place in Efrat, in the Gush Etzion region of Judea. An additional one is expected to open soon in Beitar Illit, in the Binyamin region of Samaria, according to the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
Israel Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, described the move as “historic justice.”
On Thursday, Ganz thanked Mike Huckabee, U.S. ambassador to Israel, at the embassy in Jerusalem, awarding him Honorary Citizenship.
The symbolic award was a specially designed commemorative passport titled “The Biblical Heartland of Israel,” the Yesha Council said in a statement.
“It is an honor for me to receive this beautiful commemorative passport, and I want to thank the embassy staff for their willingness to do what we are meant to do, provide services to American citizens living throughout the country,” Huckabee told Ganz.
“I hope this will be helpful to people who can now access the same civil services that previously required travel to Jerusalem,” the American diplomat added.
Ganz said that his appreciation and award were extended on behalf of the residents of Judea and Samaria.
“Thousands of families in the region, including many American citizens, are experiencing a significant and positive change today. The passport I presented to the ambassador is symbolic, but it reflects a clear reality: Judea and Samaria are the heart of the biblical land, and Binyamin stands at the center of that history,” Ganz was quoted as saying.
The symbolic passport features a range of photos of historical heritage sites in Binyamin and across Judea and Samaria, some of which Huckabee has visited.
The Binyamin region is situated north and south of Jerusalem, running from the Jordan Valley in the east to the Samarian Foothills in the west, and from the Shiloh Creek in the north to the Jerusalem Mountains in the south.
Earlier this week, the embassy said that as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration and an accompanying effort “to reach all Americans,” the consular office would provide one-day passport services to several locations, including Efrat, Ramallah, Beitar Illit, Haifa, Jerusalem, Netanya and Beit Shemesh.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry welcomed the “historic decision,” saying it brought ties between the two nations “closer and stronger than ever.”
