Joseph-No, actually I am talking about Americans living in Israel- like me, not tourists. Go to the websites of the consulate and embassy citizens service and you will see them state clearly that the consulate is for residents of Jerusalem and West Bank. Remember, embassies are under the State Dept, which still prints place of birth as Jerusalem without listing Israel, even after Trump’s declaration. That’s why I believe that if you reside in what is recognized as Israel, you are sent to Tel Aviv (or Haifa), and if you reside if an area officially thought to be occupied, you are sent to Jerusalem. There are separate appointment scheduling systems for each. I have heard of residents of other areas try to go to the consulate, could be some got through and were serviced, but officially that is not the policy, and personally, considering the hassle and wait involved in an embassy/consulate visit, I wouldn’t risk being turned away for going to the wrong place. Tourists would just go to whatever is nearest if they had some problems during their visit. Having the embassy moved to Jerusalem changes things – and I would much rather go to Jerusalem then Tel Aviv; it’s a real pain getting to the site of the current embassy. Of course, the most convenient is when the embassy comes to you- which believe it or not, it does once a year in my town.
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