The United States Embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday denied media reports that it plans to open a consular service branch in Efrat, a Jewish settlement in the West Bank with a large population of US citizens.

Efrat Mayor Dovi Sheffler announced last week that “after extensive efforts” by the municipality, an agreement was reached with the US embassy to open a “service station” by the end of the month to provide civil services to US citizens living there. Subsequent reports citing municipality officials described the initiative as a consular service branch that was part of an “embassy outreach program.”

“Media reports of the opening of a consular service center in Efrat are incorrect,” a US Embassy spokesman said in a statement. “As it does on a regular basis in both Israel and the West Bank, the US Embassy Consular Section will conduct outreach and provide services to US........

© The Times of Israel