Nearly all foreign diplomatic missions in Israel have instructed their personnel not to visit the occupied Arab territories in their official capacity or to have any official contact with the local population outside of their embassies’ jurisdiction. This was learned from an announcement by the Swedish Foreign Ministry. However, countries that maintained consulates in Jerusalem before the June, 1967 war, such as Britain and the United States, are continuing to function on the West Bank. The U.S. Consulate has transferred its visa department from West to East Jerusalem. A Consulate official said the move was made as a convenience to West Bank residents who have no easy access to Amman and therefore are issued American visas in Jerusalem. The office also issues visas and passports to Jewish residents of West Jerusalem.
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