The American Consulate in “eastern Jerusalem” serves 600,000 Jews in the “occupied territories” of Judea and Samaria and many parts of Jerusalem, but its website at http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov is devoted to helping Arabs only. English and Arabic are the two languages used by workers, and its telephone answering system does not offer an option for Hebrew.
The Tel Aviv-based American embassy website also tries to woo Israeli Arabs more than it does Americans or Israeli Jews.
The United States officially regards as “occupied territory” all of Judea and Samaria and all parts of Jerusalem, including the Old City and the Western Wall (Kotel), that were restored to the Jewish State in the Six-Day War in 1967. Consulate officials explained the designation of “occupied” areas is why the site caters only to Arabs.
American policy requires all residents of “eastern Jerusalem,” including French Hill and Gilo as well as those living in Judea and Samaria, to use the Consulate for passports and other services for citizens. Officials told Israel National News that the embassy in Tel Aviv may be used in emergencies, but the consulate’s website shows no signs that it serves Jews at all.
Three news briefs on the current Consulate site tell readers that the United States helped Beit Jalla, adjacent to Bethlehem, to build a new public library, handed out 300 free tickets for Arab children to watch a Disney movie in Shechem and sponsored a summer camp for 450 Arabs in Judea and Samaria and Gaza.
One article features an American grant “to preserve Palestinian cultural heritage” and includes a grant to the Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange (PACE), to “assist three historic villages in the West Bank – Beitin, Aboud, and Al-Jib – to preserve their cultural heritage and promote tourist destinations, while also raising awareness among residents of the villages about their cultural heritage.”