WASHINGTON, November 19. /TASS/. Washington moved to reverse the previous administration’s stance on Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announcing on Monday that his country no longer viewed those activities as illegal.
"The Trump administration is reversing the Obama administration’s approach towards Israeli settlements," the US top diplomat said.
"U.S. public statements on settlement activities in the West Bank have been inconsistent over decades," he continued. "In 1978, the Carter administration categorically concluded that Israel’s establishment of civilian settlements was inconsistent with international law. However, in 1981, President Reagan disagreed with that conclusion and stated that he didn’t believe that the settlements were inherently illegal."
"In December 2016, at the very end of the previous administration, Secretary Kerry changed decades of this careful, bipartisan approach by publicly reaffirming the supposed illegality of settlements," Pompeo went on. "After carefully studying all sides of the legal debate, this administration agrees with President Reagan. The establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law."
At the same time, Pompeo said the new US decision has no impact on determining the final status of the West Bank and should not be viewed as a political signal to anyone.
"We are not addressing or prejudging the ultimate status of the West Bank. This is for the Israelis and the Palestinians to negotiate," Pompeo said.
"What we did here was conduct a legal analysis. We took international law, we had our lawyers review it. So this was not meant to send a message <...> about should there be more settlements, should there be fewer settlements," he said. "This wasn’t intended that at all. This was intended to be a legal review."
At the same time, Pompeo said the move might contribute to settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflcit
"We do believe that the result of this legal review creates the political space for a more likely resolution of the situation there. We think ultimately this must be resolved politically, and we think taking away this impediment, this idea that somehow there was going to be a legal resolution to this, we think it’s - we think it has failed, and so we do think we have gotten to a place which creates more likelihood [of finding a solution to the conflict]," he said.
In December 2016, UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2234 demanding that Israel halted its settlement construction on the occupied Palestinian territories. The Israeli side said it would not observe the provisions of this document. In the course of about five decades that passed since the Jewish state gained control over the West Bank of the Jordan River, Israel has built about 120 settlements there, home to about 600,000 people. The Israeli settlement activity is widely considered to be one of the main obstacles to resuming the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Palestinian response
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the US administration had no authority to cancel international resolutions regarding the West Bank.
"No one vested the US administration with the right to cancel legitimate international decisions," he said. "It has lost all its clout and no longer plays any role in the West Bank peace process."
In his words, Pompeo’s statement "is illegal and should be rejected and condemned."
Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization Saeb Erekat said Washington was seeking to replace international law with what he described as ‘law of the jungle,’ Palestine’s Maan news agency quoted him as saying.
"By taking such a stance in this matter, as well as judging by its stance regarding other issues in various parts of the world, the United States is directly defying the international law, trying to undermine its foundations and replace it with the law of the jungle," he said. "Therefore, Washington deprives itself of the role of a responsible player on the international arena and a mediator in international conflicts."
Erekat urged the international community to duly react to those ‘illegal statements.’
"As this conduct poses a threat to international stability, the world community should take measures to eliminate it and hold the US administration responsible for those outrageous continuing violations of the international law, which might provoke chaos and undermine relations between nations," he said.
Netanyahu thanks Trump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump and his administration for the move.
"Today, the United States adopted an important policy that rights a historical wrong when the Trump administration clearly rejected the false claim that Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria are inherently illegal under international law," the Israeli premier said in a statement released by his office. "Israel is deeply grateful to President Trump, Secretary Pompeo and the entire US administration for their steadfast position supporting truth and justice, and calls upon all responsible countries who hope to advance peace to adopt a similar position."
"Israel remains ready and willing to conduct peace negotiations with the Palestinians regarding all final status issues in an effort to achieve a durable peace but will continue to reject all arguments regarding the illegality of the settlements," the statement reads.
"The Trump Administration policy is also correct in stating that those who have categorically denied any legal basis for the settlements not only deny truth, history and the reality on the ground, they also set back the cause of peace, which can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties," the document continues.
International reaction
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini issued a statement on Monday night to confirm that the EU stance on the issue remained unchanged.
"The European Union's position on Israeli settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory is clear and remains unchanged: all settlement activity is illegal under international law and it erodes the viability of the two-state solution and the prospects for a lasting peace, as reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2334," she said.
"The EU calls on Israel to end all settlement activity, in line with its obligations as an occupying power," the EU top diplomat went on. "The EU will continue to support a resumption of a meaningful process towards a negotiated two-state solution, the only realistic and viable way to fulfill the legitimate aspirations of both parties."
Meanwhile, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi urged the international community to take urgent measures to defend the principles of the Middle Eastern peace settlement, the Ammon news agency quoted him as saying.
"The peace process is facing unprecedented challenges, and the confirmation of the Israeli occupation kills the last chance for settling the conflict on the basis of the principle of co-existence of the two states," he said.
In his words, Jordan condemns the construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian regions.
"Israel’s unilateral actions constitute a breach of the international law and UN Security Council decisions, including its latest Resolution 2334 on the issue," he said.
Earlier, Safadi wrote on his Twitter page that "Jordan’s position in condemning them [Israeli settlement activities] is unwavering."
"We warn against dangerous consequences of US change of position on settlements on MEPP [Middle East Peace Process]," he said.
US Embassy warning
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Israel warned US citizens to demonstrate caution due to the increased possibility of attacks on Amercians in Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza Strip following Pompeo’s statement.
"The U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens in or considering travel to or through Jerusalem, the West Bank, or Gaza to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness in light of the current environment," the embassy said in a statement.
"Individuals and groups opposed to the Secretary of State’s recent announcement may target U.S. government facilities, U.S. private interests, and U.S. citizens," the statement continued, identifying as potential targets "public events, such as demonstrations, holiday events, and celebratory gatherings; hotels, clubs, and restaurants popular with U.S. citizens; places of worship; schools; shopping malls and markets; tourism infrastructure; public transportation and airports."
According to the statement, the US government currently prohibits travel by government employees to the entirety of the West Bank, including Jericho and Bethlehem, as well as to Jerusalem’s Old City, its immediate vicinity, and its gates.