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A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 19 November 2019

U.S. angers Palestinians with reversal on Israeli settlements

By MATTHEW LEE Embassy to that city and unlikely to gather much in- policy would not extend on all efforts to achieve
AP Diplomatic Writer the closure of the Pales- ternational support by en- beyond the West Bank and peace," he said. Shortly
WASHINGTON (AP) — The tinian diplomatic office in dorsing a position contrary that it would not create a after Pompeo's announce-
Trump administration on Washington. to the global consensus. precedent for other territo- ment, the U.S. Embassy in
Monday said it no longer “The U.S. administration has The Netanyahu govern- rial disputes. Jerusalem issued an advi-
considers Israeli settlements He also said the decision sory warning for Americans
in the West Bank to be a vi- did not mean the adminis- planning to travel in the
olation of international law, tration was prejudging the West Bank, Jerusalem and
reversing four decades of status of the West Bank in Gaza, saying, "Individu-
American policy and fur- any eventual Israeli-Pales- als and groups opposed
ther undermining the Pales- tinian peace agreement. to (Pompeo’s) announce-
tinians’ effort to gain state- For Netanyahu, the wel- ment may target U.S. gov-
hood. come boost comes at a ernment facilities, U.S. pri-
Secretary of State Mike time when he has been vate interests, and U.S.
Pompeo announced that weakened domestically by citizens." It called on them
the U.S. is repudiating the mounting legal woes and “to maintain a high level
1978 State Department le- two inconclusive elections of vigilance and take ap-
gal opinion that held that this year. propriate steps to increase
civilian settlements in the Unable to secure a parlia- their security awareness in
occupied territories are mentary majority, Netan- light of the current environ-
“inconsistent with interna- yahu is now anxiously wait- ment."
tional law.” Israeli leaders Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a news conference ing to see if his chief rival, Israel captured the West
welcomed the decision at the State Department in Washington, Monday, Nov. 18, 2019. Benny Gantz, can put to- Bank and east Jerusalem in
while Palestinians and oth- Associated Press gether a coalition. If Gantz the 1967 Mideast war and
er nations warned that it fails, the country could be quickly began settling the
undercut any chance of a lost its credibility to play any ment was dealt a blow on forced into a third election, newly conquered territory.
broader peace deal. future role in the peace settlements just last week with Netanyahu facing the Today, some 700,000 Israeli
Pompeo told reporters at process,” said Nabil Abu when the European Court distraction of a trial. settlers live in the two areas,
the State Department that Rdeneh, a spokesman for of Justice ruled products Netanyahu's office re- which are both claimed by
the Trump administration Palestinian President Mah- made in Israeli settlements leased a statement saying the Palestinians for their
believes any legal ques- moud Abbas. must be labeled as such. the policy shift "rights a his- state.
tions about settlements The European Union The 1978 legal opinion on torical wrong" concerning After the war, it immedi-
should be resolved by Is- warned of the potential re- settlements is known as settlements. ately annexed east Jerusa-
raeli courts and that de- percussions in a statement the Hansell Memorandum. "This policy reflects an his- lem, home to the holy city’s
claring them a violation of following the announce- It had been the basis for torical truth - that the Jew- most important religious
international law distracts ment that did not mention more than 40 years of care- ish people are not foreign sites, in a move that is not
from larger efforts to nego- the U.S. fully worded U.S. opposition colonialists in Judea and internationally recognized.
tiate a peace deal. “All settlement activity is il- to settlement construction Samaria," it said, using the But Israel has never an-
“Calling the establishment legal under international that had varied in its tone Israeli terms for the West nexed the West Bank, even
of civilian settlements in- law and it erodes the vi- and strength, depending Bank. as it has dotted the territory
consistent with internation- ability of the two-state solu- on the president’s position. Gantz, meanwhile, ap- with scores of settlements
al law has not advanced tion and the prospects for The international communi- plauded Pompeo's "im- and tiny settlement out-
the cause of peace,” Pom- a lasting peace,” said the ty overwhelmingly consid- portant statement, once posts. While claiming the
peo said. “The hard truth is statement from the 28-na- ers the settlements illegal again demonstrating its fate of the settlements is
that there will never be a ju- tion bloc. “The EU calls on based in part on the Fourth firm stance with Israel and a subject for negotiations,
dicial resolution to the con- Israel to end all settlement Geneva Convention, which its commitment to the se- it has steadily expanded
flict, and arguments about activity, in line with its obli- bars an occupying power curity and future of the en- them. Some major settle-
who is right and who is gations as an occupying from transferring parts of its tire Middle East." ments have over 30,000 res-
wrong as a matter of inter- power.” own civilian population to Pompeo dismissed sug- idents, resembling small cit-
national law will not bring Even though the decision occupied territory. gestions that the decision ies and serving as suburbs
peace.” is largely symbolic, it could In the final days of the would further isolate the of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The change reflects the ad- give a boost to Israeli Prime Obama administration, the U.S. or Israel in the interna- The Palestinians and most
ministration’s embrace of a Minister Benjamin Netan- U.S. allowed the U.N. Secu- tional community, though of the world say the settle-
hard-line Israeli view at the yahu, who is fighting for his rity Council to pass a reso- Jordan’s Foreign Minister ments undermine hopes
expense of the Palestinian political survival after fail- lution declaring the settle- Ayman Safadi wrote on for a two-state solution by
quest for statehood. Simi- ing to form a coalition gov- ments a “flagrant violation” Twitter that the settlements gobbling up land sought
lar actions have included ernment following recent of international law. hurt peace prospects. “We by the Palestinians.
President Donald Trump’s elections. Pompeo said that the U.S. warn of the seriousness of Israel’s settlement activi-
decision to recognize Je- It could also spell further would not take a position the change in the U.S. po- ties have also drawn at-
rusalem as Israel’s capital, trouble for the administra- on the legality of specific sition towards the settle- tention to its treatment of
the movement of the U.S. tion’s peace plan, which is settlements, that the new ments and its repercussions Palestinians.q